365 Days of Swan Queen
by disneyevilqueen
Summary: 365 oneshots following the daily lives of Swan Queen. Hits pretty much every genre, but mainly it's a fluff overload.
1. Day 1: Telling the Parents

**So I saw someone that did this kind of story for another show, and I really like the idea. So thanks to whoever wrote "365 Days of Mystrade". I'm using your idea :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any OUAT characters. Although I really wish that I did**

Emma was pacing. She usually never paced, but this was a special occasion. Regina had decided that today would be the day to tell Snow and David about them. As a couple. How do you tell your parents that you're in love with their old enemy?

"You're going to wear a path into my carpet," Regina said, chuckling. For some reason, she was perfectly calm about the situation.

"How are you so calm?" Emma asked. "We're telling my parents that I'm in a relationship with someone that at one point tried killing them both!"

"Technically, I was only trying to kill your mother. David just got in the way," Regina said, smirking. Emma rolled her eyes and went back to pacing. Regina looked in sympathy at Emma. The reason why Regina was so calm was because she didn't care what Snow and David thought. Emma did.

Regina walked to Emma wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. Immediately, Emma sighed and relaxed into Regina's embrace.

"I can't promise that they're going to be okay with this," Regina said. "But why should we care? I know that they're your parents and you want to be the best for them, but as long as we love each other, why should we care what anyone else thinks?"

Emma turned in Regina's arms and hugged her tightly. "I love you," she mumbled into Regina's shirt.

Regina chuckled. "I love you too, dear. Now let's go talk to your parents." She waited patiently for Emma to relax before poofing them to David and Snow's door. Emma reluctantly let go of Regina and knocked on the door.

Snow opened the door, and her face lit up at seeing her daughter. "Emma! You haven't been home in a while. It's good to see you again," she said.

Emma smiled as Snow gave her a hug before ushering her and Regina inside. Emma took a deep breath and tried to calm down her racing heart.

As if sensing her distress, Regina subtly reached over and gave Emma's hand a squeeze. The effect was immediately seen; Emma let out the air she had been holding, and her body relaxed. She looked over at Regina, who nodded at her. It was time.

"Hey mom, is dad home?" Emma asked. She purposefully used the parent terms, hoping that they might lessen what was to come.

"Right here," David said, walking into the room. "What's up? Need some help at the station?"

Emma shook her head. "I actually wanted to talk to you guys. If that's okay."

"Of course sweetie. Although, why is Regina here?" Snow asked. David crossed his arms and looked skeptically at Regina, who rolled her eyes.

"For heaven sakes David, I did not harm her. So stop looking at me the way that you look at Hook when he gets too close," Regina said.

Emma snorted at Regina's reference of Hook. And then she looked at her parents. Snow just looked confused, while David looked like he was ready to grab his sword. Before things got worse, Emma had to say something.

"I'm in love with Regina," Emma blurted. Snow and David looked at her with wide eyes.

"You're what now?" David asked. Snow was looking back and forth between Emma and Regina as everything clicked. Why Henry was so much happier, why Emma was hardly ever home anymore; it all made sense.

"I'm in love with Regina," Emma said, strongly. She reached over and intertwined her fingers with Regina's. She watched as the anger on David's face turned to understanding, and Snow's eyes filled with tears.

"Emma, she tried to kill me. On multiple occasions," Snow said.

"She's changed mom. A lot," Emma said. She looked at Regina and their eyes locked. A look of nothing but love passed between them, and David noticed.

"True love is a mysterious thing," David said. "And if Regina is who it's with, okay. I won't say I fully like it, but I want you to be happy."

Emma smiled gratefully at David before looking at Snow. Snow looked in disbelief at her husband. "David, she tried to kill me!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Have we really not moved past that? I haven't tried to kill you in months!"

"She's got a point Snow. And look at Emma. She's happy," David said to Snow. After several beats, Snow looked at Emma.

"If she really makes you happy, and you truly love her...then I guess I'll get used to it," Snow said.

Emma breathed out the air that she had been holding as she sighed in relief. She caught Regina's eye, and the two of them smiled. Snow and David may not fully approve, but it was a start.

 **Ta da! So the only way that this is gonna work is if you guys, my lovely readers, leave prompts for me because I'll eventually run out of ideas. I promise I'll try to do them!**


	2. Day 2: Headache

Regina had probably the worst headache she had ever experienced in her entire life. So many people needed something from her, and her brain was beginning to fry under the pressure.

Putting her head in her hands, Regina closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. This had happened back when she was queen and had to deal with keeping away from Leopold, as well as Snow. It had taken so much mental effort that headaches had popped up every day.

Sighing in defeat, Regina reached into her desk for some Tylenol. After rummaging around for a minute, she came up empty-handed. Groaning, Regina picked up her phone and texted Emma.

* * *

Emma was having the most boring day possible. Nothing was happening. For once she wished that someone would try to steal from Gold's shop or something. Literally, anything.

David looked over in sympathy at Emma. He knew that she was used to her old job that had her chasing people down almost every day. Storybrooke was nothing like that.

Emma looked down in excitement as her phone beeped. Something had finally happened! Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she read the text from her girlfriend.

R: _I need your help_

E: _What's wrong?_

R: _Easy dear. I just have a really bad headache_

E: _Whew. How can I help with that?_

R: _I need Tylenol. There's none in my desk_

E: _On my way_

"I need to run David, Regina needs some Tylenol from home," Emma said. David nodded and smiled. Emma smiled back gratefully before grabbing her keys.

* * *

Regina felt like crying. She felt like someone was smashing her head in with a hammer, and that was not a pleasant feeling. She heard knocking at the door and hoped beyond belief that it was Emma with some medicine.

"Gina?" Emma asked. She hesitantly stuck her head in, not wanting to come in without being given permission.

"Thank God," Regina said. "Please tell me that you have Tylenol." Emma smiled and walked over before kneeling in front of Regina.

"Hurts that bad huh?" Emma asked. Regina nodded before squeezing her eyes shut. Even nodding hurt. Emma kissed Regina on the forehead before handing her two Tylenol and a bottle of water.

Smiling gratefully, Regina quickly took both pills. "What would I do without you?" she asked.

Emma smiled. "You'd have one heck of a headache."


	3. Day 3: First Time Parents?

David yawned for what had to be the 100th time that morning. As much as he and Snow had wanted another baby, he didn't realize all that it entailed.

Emma looked in pity at David. "Why don't you go home early? Try and get some sleep," she said.

"If I go home, Snow will just make me help. At least here I can avoid helping for a little bit," David said.

Emma chuckled. Her parents had no idea what being parents was like, and it was making her laugh. "You could sleep in one of the cells," she suggested.

"True," David said. "Who knew that being a first-time parent would be so tough?"

Emma froze. Had he just said first-time parent? She understood why he had said it, but it still stung. Tears started blurring her vision, so she got up grabbed her jacket.

"Emma wait," David pleaded. "I didn't mean it like that." Emma just shook her head and walked quickly out of the station.

David groaned. He had just messed up. Big time. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the one person that could help.

* * *

Emma didn't know where she was going. She just had wanted to get away before David could launch into an explanation of what he had really meant. Logically, Emma understood why David had said what he did. He and Snow were experiencing being parents for the first time. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

Lost in thought, Emma didn't notice Regina trailing behind her. Regina knew that she had to let Emma walk where she wanted to before talking to her, otherwise Emma would shut down and run.

Emma wandered around the forest for a while before reaching a clearing. She sat on a tree trunk and put her head in her hands. She tried to hold in her tears, but they eventually started falling.

Regina walked into the clearing and kneeled in front of Emma before pulling her into a hug. Emma relaxed into Regina before sobbing. "David said that h-he and Snow we-were first time par-parents," Emma said in between sobs.

Regina rubbed her hand up and down Emma's back as she rocked them both back and forth. Emma's sobs eventually died down and she moved from Regina's embrace; wiping her eyes.

"Your father was an idiot to say that to you," Regina said. Emma smiled and put her head on Regina's shoulder.

"I understand why he said it," Emma said. "They're having to take care of a baby for the first time. But still…"

"I know," Regina said. She pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's head.

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes before Emma stood up. "You should be yelling at me you know," she said.

Regina looked at Emma, confused. "Why?" she asked.

Emma smirked. "I am missing work right now, and I believe I owe you a lot of paperwork Madame Mayor." Regina laughed before standing and intertwining her fingers with Emma's.

"I'll let you off the hook this time," Regina said.

Emma smiled. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too, dear."


	4. Day 4: Dark Day

Emma was doing so much paperwork she thought her hands were going to fall off. David wasn't any better, as he was also struggling to stay awake. Emma burst out laughing when David's head finally hit the desk, startling him awake. He stuck his tongue out at Emma before going back to work.

Still smiling, Emma reached for her phone to text Regina. If anyone could brighten her day, her wife could. They'd only been married for 2 years, but it felt like 20.

Just as she was starting to send a text, Henry texted her. The text only had two words, but they had Emma cursing under her breath.

Dark day.

* * *

Emma drove home as fast as she could. It was a good thing that she was the sheriff, otherwise she would probably have been pulled over for speeding.

As soon as she shut off the ignition, Emma ran inside the house. Henry was waiting for her in the foyer. "How bad is it?" she asked.

Henry sighed. "Pretty bad. I managed to hide everything sharp, but she'll probably use her magic to make something."

"What happened to the magic cuff?" Emma asked.

Henry chuckled. "She burned it." Emma sighed. Of course she did. Emma hugged Henry quickly before heading up to the bedroom.

Regina sat on the bed, knees hugged to her chest. Emma's heart broke. Regina had a very dark past, and every once in awhile it came back to haunt her. It had taken Emma a couple months of dating for her to realize that Regina had days where the past came back too much.

Emma knocked gently on the door frame, hoping to draw Regina's attention. Regina didn't even look up. Emma winced. This one was bad.

"Gina?" Emma asked. She walked slowly over to the bed, waving her hands. If she managed to get Regina's attention, she could bring her back.

Emma sat on the edge of the bed and tugged gently at the covers that Regina was sitting on. "Come on Regina. Come back to me love," Emma said.

Regina finally looked up and shakily breathed in. "Emma?"

"Hey there beautiful," Emma said softly. She reached out tentatively and grabbed Regina's hand. Regina scoffed, but let her hand be held.

"If you're going to call me something, at least make it accurate," Regina said.

"That was accurate," Emma said strongly. "You are beautiful, and you are loved. So much. No matter what anyone said to you before, what matters is what I say now. And I say that you're beautiful, and funny, and smart, and a wonderful mother."

Regina looked at her with tears streaming down her face. "Why are you lying to me?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled patiently. It usually took awhile before she got through to Regina's mind. "I'm not lying. I promise. You can tell when I'm lying right?" Regina nodded.

"Am I lying to you?" Emma asked her. Regina looked deep into Emma's eyes and saw that she was indeed, not lying.

"You're not lying," she said tearfully. Emma smiled before wrapping Regina in a hug and tenderly kissing her. Regina relaxed into Emma's embrace and sighed happily.

"I'm sorry for being a burden," Regina said.

Emma gently grabbed Regina's chin and forced her to meet Emma's eyes. "You are not a burden," she said. "I enjoy helping you, because it's the one time that you actually let me."

Regina smiled. She could be very stubborn. "I love you," she said, resting her head on Emma's shoulder.

"I love you too," Emma said. "Dark days and all."


	5. Day 5: Picnic

Regina smiled happily as she opened as many windows as possible. It was finally starting to feel like spring, and she wanted to fully enjoy it. Spring was her favorite season, mainly because that was when nature was at its finest. Trees and flowers grew back, and the air smelled like earth.

Regina was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Emma sneaking into the kitchen behind her and grabbing food from the kitchen. Emma knew how much that Regina loved the outdoors, and was planning a picnic for the two of them in the backyard. Only problem? Distracting Regina while Emma made things perfect.

Emma put all of her stolen food into a basket before going to Henry's room and knocking on the door. As a teenager, Henry was in his "why can't you guys knock?!" phase. Emma was happy to oblige him, but Regina was still having trouble with the adjustment.

"You may enter," Henry said. Emma rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"Really kid? 'You may enter?'" Emma said. Henry just smirked at her and kept reading. He was reading The Land of Stories, a series about two kids who get sucked into fairytales and meet characters from their favorite fairy tales. Ironic considering Henry basically lived in a fairytale.

"Did you need something?" Henry asked.

"I need your help actually," Emma said. Henry looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. Such a Regina move. "I need you to distract your mom so that I can set up the backyard for a picnic."

"How weirdly romantic," Henry said. He put his bookmark in his book and stood up.

"So you'll help?" Emma asked. Henry nodded.

"Leave the distracting to me," he said.

* * *

Henry walked downstairs planning how to distract his mom. It wouldn't be hard once he actually thought of something. He knew that the minute he asked her to do something for him, she would jump at the opportunity. But what could he do?

It suddenly hit him. Emma's birthday was in a couple weeks, and he hadn't gotten her a present yet. A trip to Gold's shop would be perfect.

"Hey mom," Henry said. Regina looked up and smiled.

"Hey there," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Well Emma's birthday is in a couple weeks, and I wanted to get her a present. Can we go to Gold's shop?" Henry asked. He held his breath as he waited for her response. Would she take the bait?

"I'd love to," Regina said. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Emma smiled as Regina and Henry left the mansion to go "birthday present shopping". They were going shopping, but Emma doubted that Henry would actually buy anything. Items from Gold's shop usually costed some kind of favor, and Emma knew that Regina didn't trust the man.

Gathering all the supplies that she needed, Emma headed to the backyard. Even though the apple tree had been chopped down, Regina still had other trees in the backyard that Emma planned on taking advantage of.

Grabbing the box of Christmas lights, Emma dug until she found the natural light ones. She had more than enough, and began wrapping the trees in the lights. Plugging in the main power cord, Emma looked at her handiwork and smiled. One thing down.

Over the course of the afternoon, Emma transformed the backyard into a romantically lit space. Smiling to herself, Emma was proud of the way that it all had turned out. She pulled out her phone and texted Henry that he could wrap things up and come home.

10 minutes later, Henry and Regina walked in the door. They were both smiling, and Emma couldn't help smiling too. "I'm going to go put this upstairs," Henry said, holding up a bag.

Once he was gone, Emma walked forward and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist. "Did you have a good afternoon?" she asked. Regina smiled and nodded.

"What did you do while we were gone?" Regina asked. Emma smiled before intertwining their fingers.

"Close your eyes," Emma commanded. Regina looked at her curiously before closing her eyes. Smiling ear to ear, Emma led Regina to the backyard.

"This is what I did all day," Emma said., squeezing Regina's hand. Regina opened her eyes and gasped. The backyard looked absolutely beautiful.

"You did this for me?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Emma said. "Now come on, I stole some wonderful food from the kitchen."


	6. Day 6: Patches

**So I've always wanted a border collie named Patches, so I transferred my dream into this story. Hope you all are enjoying it so far!**

Emma sat in the sheriff station and groaned as she looked outside. It was an awful storm outside, which meant that Regina would probably drag her outside for the very cliché "kiss in the rain".

As Emma walked out to her car, she heard high-pitched whimpering. Looking around, Emma finally saw the cardboard box and walked over to take a look.

Inside was a little black and white puppy, about 8 weeks old. "Hey there," Emma cooed, picking up the puppy. "What are you doing out here in this storm huh?" The puppy wiggled in her hands, trying to get closer to Emma's warmth.

Emma wrapped the puppy in her jacket before heading back to her car. "Regina is going to kill me," she said.

* * *

Regina considered herself a pretty tolerant person. That's what happens when you become a mother of a little boy. But a dog? No way.

"She was out in the storm," Emma explained. The puppy was much happier now that she had been dried off and given some table scraps. She was waddling around in the way that puppies do, as if four legs isn't something that they can coordinate.

"Dogs are nothing but a mess," Regina said. She refused to look at the puppy, knowing that the moment that she did, the puppy would stay.

Henry chose that moment to enter the room. The minute his eyes landed on the puppy, they lit up like it was Christmas. "You got a puppy?!" he asked.

"She was outside during the storm. Someone just put her in a cardboard box and left her there," Emma explained. Henry sat on the floor and the puppy happily waddled into his lap. Smiling ear to ear, Henry pet the puppy until she sleepily yawned and fell asleep.

"Come on mom," Henry pleaded. "She has nowhere else to go. Please? Please please please." Regina looked over at him and saw Henry's puppy dog eyes at full force. She looked at Emma for backup, but only saw the exact same puppy dog eyes that Henry had.

"Curse me for loving two people with the exact same puppy dog eyes," Regina mumbled. Emma and Henry perked up and excitedly looked at each other.

"So is that a yes?" Emma asked. Regina groaned and mumbled something about regretting this before nodding. Henry and Emma started celebrating, which startled the puppy awake. She thought that a game was beginning and ran around the room barking.

Regina scooped her up. "If you're going to stay, you've got to be a lot more quieter than that," she said. The puppy wagged her tail and licked Regina's cheek. Regina couldn't help but smile before handing Henry the puppy.

"She needs a name kid," Emma said.

"Patches," Henry replied right away. Regina looked at him curiously. "I've always wanted a dog mom. I had plenty of time to plan out a name."

Regina laughed and put an arm around him. "Well I'm glad your plan finally succeeded."

* * *

Patches was a very smart little puppy. Being a border collie, she learned tricks quickly. In no time, Henry had her doing as many tricks as he could think of.

Regina smiled from her spot on a bench as Henry and Patches played fetch with a frisbee. It made her happy to see her son so happy, even if it included a dog.

"Aren't you glad that I found her?" Emma asked, taking a seat next to Regina.

"Well the potty training left something to be desired, but other than that, yes," Regina said. Emma laughed and put her head on Regina's shoulder.

"My favorite foster home had a dog in it," she said. "It was a really nice family. I fit in really well. But the best part was the dog. No matter what, this dog was always happy and there for me to cuddle with. So to have a dog back in my life is fantastic."

Regina kissed the top of Emma's head. "Well you could have said that in the first place," she teased. "Then I would have had no problem keeping her!" Emma laughed.

They watched happily as Henry fell onto the grass, and was immediately tackled by Patches. She gave him a nice bath, even with him squirming and laughing. Emma and Regina laughed.

Emma sat there, looking at her son that she shared with her amazing wife, and couldn't help but smile. She finally knew what having a family felt like.


	7. Day 7: Doctor Visit

Emma woke up to the sound of Regina throwing up. Again. This was the 5th day in a row that Regina had woken up feeling sick to her stomach, and Emma was starting to get worried.

The toilet flushed and Regina brushed her teeth before heading back into the bedroom. All she wanted was to curl back up and go to sleep, but Emma apparently had different plans.

"You need to see a doctor," Emma said. Regina immediately tensed. She was deathly afraid of doctors, but Emma had no idea why. But she did know that Regina needed to see someone.

"It's not that bad," Regina protested. "I probably just caught a bug and it's taking awhile to work its way out of my system."

Emma sighed. "You just don't want to go to the doctor. You know there's something off, but you refuse to go in."

"I just need some sleep, that's all. Henry had a similar bug when he was little," Regina said.

Emma narrowed her eyes. Regina looked back innocently, but Emma saw that she was terrified; and trying to hide it. Emma got up off of the bed and left the room, walking up to Henry's. Regina followed her, mainly because she was curious about what Emma was up to.

Emma knocked on Henry's door and waited for a response before opening it. Henry looked sleepily at both of his mother's. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I have a very important question for you kid," Emma said. Henry nodded. "When you had a flu bug, how long did it usually last?"

Regina froze, knowing exactly what Emma was doing. She started slowly backing up towards the door, but Emma waved her hand and the door shut and locked. Regina was trapped.

"I don't know," Henry said. "Couple days I think. Why? Is mom still throwing up?"

Regina winced. Of course Henry would notice and help out Emma's argument. But she couldn't go to the doctor. Not with that man there.

"I'm fine Henry," Regina said. "I'm sure my flu bug is just a little harder on my system than yours was."

"That's bullshit," Emma mumbled. Henry snorted as Regina hit Emma's shoulder for her language. Emma rolled her eyes.

During all of this, Regina had been using her magic to unlock the door. Feeling the door finally give, Regina pulled it open and bolted.

"Regina!" Emma said. Regina ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She had no idea how she was going to escape, but she needed to.

Emma knew that if Regina made it to the front door, she would be gone. Concentrating on her love for Regina, Emma poofed herself to the bottom of the stairs, directly in Regina's escape route. Regina stopped before turning to run back upstairs. Henry stood at the top of the stairs, also blocking her path.

Emma slowly started to climb the stairs, and almost called the whole thing off at the absolute look of terror in Regina's eyes. But she needed to see a doctor.

"Gina do you trust me?" Emma asked. Regina slowly nodded. "Would I ever let anyone hurt you?" Regina shook her head. "Then let me take you to a doctor." Regina shook her head again. She suddenly seemed to remember that she had magic, so she poofed herself to a place far away. Her crypt.

* * *

Emma sighed in defeat as Regina disappeared. Henry walked down the stairs to join her. "Let's get dressed," he said. Emma nodded and they both went back upstairs.

Several minutes later, both sat in the kitchen eating cereal. "Do you know why she's so scared of doctors?" Emma asked. Henry shook his head.

"I know where she went though. It's always her hiding place," Henry said. Emma nodded, immediately thinking of the dark crypt full of beating hearts. Emma knew that there was no way to make Regina go to the doctor. Not unless she somehow had no magic.

Suddenly, Emma had the best idea ever. "What happened to the magical cuff that Greg put on Regina?" she asked.

"In my room on the dresser," Henry said. "Why?"

"Think about it," Emma said as she ran up to Henry's room. "If she doesn't have magic, she can't escape!" Henry nodded. Sounded like an operation. And he loved operations.

* * *

Emma and Henry arrived at the crypt with the name Operation Doctor Visit. "You wait here," Emma told Henry. "Just in case she gets past me and runs for it. You distract her so I can sneak up on her and put the cuff on her." Henry nodded. He didn't look forward to taking away his mom's magic, but it was necessary.

Emma walked into the crypt and shuddered at the sound of all the hearts. Regina knew that it creeped Emma out and probably had done it on purpose to try and keep her out.

"Regina?" Emma called. She heard something being dropped off to the right, so she headed that way. Regina was standing in front of one of her many mirrors, focusing on her own reflection to calm down.

She was so concentrated on calming down that she didn't notice Emma sneak up behind her until it was too late. The cuff was slipped onto her wrist, and Regina spun around just as she felt the magic drain from her and into the cuff.

"Why would you do that?" Regina asked, panicking. If she didn't have magic, how was she going to escape?

"Listen to me," Emma pleaded. "You need to see a doctor. I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. But you need to go in."

Regina shook her head and hugged her arms tightly around herself. "I can't," she said.

"Tell me why Gina," Emma said. "Please. I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

Regina was silent for several moments before taking a deep breath. "Whale. He brought Daniel back, but he was so different. It was like he had no control over his actions or his body. And Whale's a doctor. Someone that people trust to take care of them, and he created a monster. I can't go Emma. I can't. Please don't make me."

"Hey, hey, easy," Emma said. She reached out and wrapped Regina in a hug. "Take a deep breath love. I need you to trust me. I promise that not all doctors are like Whale."

Regina let out the breath that she was holding before nodding. She trusted Emma with her life. Even if it meant facing her biggest fear.

* * *

Regina couldn't stop fidgeting. "Gina, take a deep breath. I promise you're fine," Emma said. She squeezed Regina's hand reassuringly.

A knock sounded at the door before a woman stuck her head in. "Regina?" she asked. Regina just nodded. "Okay good. Didn't want to walk into the wrong room!"

Emma smiled. She already liked this woman. She felt the grip on her hand loosen and smiled even wider. Regina liked her too.

The doctor, whose name turned out to be Dr. Daley, was very nice. She did a thorough examination before finishing with a smile.

"Well I've got some great news!" she said. Emma and Regina looked at her curiously. How could Regina throwing up bring good news?

"You don't have the flu," Dr. Daley said. "However, there is an explanation as to why you're throwing up." Regina just raised an eyebrow. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You two might want to start decorating a nursery, because Regina's pregnant!" Dr. Daley said. Both Emma and Regina's jaws dropped in surprise.

True love sure did strange things.

 **Dr. Daley is actually the name of my eye doctor, who is the nicest person I have ever met. Review with some prompts!**


	8. Day 8: Henry's First Date

Henry walked into Regina's office hesitantly. If he really wanted to go on a date, he would have to ask it in the gentlest way possible. He had no doubt that Emma would let him go with no problem. It was Regina that he had to worry about.

"Hi mom," Henry said. He relaxed as Regina smiled at him. She loved it when he visited her at work.

"Hey there," Regina said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Henry shifted awkwardly from foot to foot and chewed his lip. Regina narrowed her eyes. Emma did the same thing when she had something that she wanted to ask, but didn't want Regina to get mad.

"What's on your mind?" Regina asked. Henry looked up at her. How had she known?

"I want to go on a date!" Henry blurted. Regina's eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped. Her little prince? Going on a date?

"Um. I, uh. Let me think about it," Regina said. Her mind was going into overdrive, and she could barely think, let alone speak. Henry nodded and quickly left the room before texting Emma.

* * *

Emma found the whole situation hilarious. It was the classical "he's my baby, so he's too young to be dating" scenario. It also probably didn't help that the only thing that Henry had texted was _I think I broke mom_.

Emma walked into Regina's office and couldn't help but slightly smile at Regina. Clearly the situation was getting to her. She had her head in her hands and was mumbling something about "little prince".

Emma walked over and put her hands on Regina's desk. "It's just a date Regina," she said. "We've had plenty of those."

"But we're grown women! He's just a little boy," Regina whined.

Emma chuckled. "Hate to break it to you love, but he's sixteen. Don't really think that qualifies as a little boy." Regina groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. Emma walked around the desk and kneeled in front of Regina's chair.

"What's the big deal anyway?" she asked. "It's not like he's going to get hurt."

Regina shook her head. "That's not it," she said. Several beats passed before Emma squeezed her knee, as if encouraging her to continue. Regina sighed. "I don't want him to be taken from me again."

Emma winced. She had been responsible for the first time that Regina had lost him. "Sorry," she said.

Regina just smiled. "I forgave you a long time ago dear. Plus you brought him back to me. I'm not sure he'll want to come back once he experiences love," she said.

Emma nodded. It made sense. "What if we watched them on their date?" she asked, smirking.

"Like a stake-out?" Regina asked, eyebrows raised. "Isn't that a little much?"

Emma shook her head. "We can just keep an eye on them and see how it goes. He'll never know," she said.

Regina leaned down and gave Emma a kiss. "Two things," she said. "First, you're a genius and I love you. Second, you have been spending WAY too much time with me."

Emma just laughed.

* * *

"So far so good," Emma whispered to Regina. They sat in her bug, far away from where Henry and his date were. They both had a pair of binoculars, and were keeping a close eye on Henry to see all that was happening.

Henry had done a good job planning the date. He had chosen to do simple things, but they were still fun. Both of the kids seemed to have a great time, and soon Henry was walking her home. Emma followed stealthily in her bug and stopped as Henry walked his date up to her front door.

Regina watched as both of them leaned in and shared a very hesitant first kiss. "Oh hell no," Regina growled. She unbuckled her seat belt, but Emma locked the car doors and grabbed her wrist.

"Easy mama bear," Emma soothed. "It was just a kiss."

"I don't know if you remember dear, but a kiss is how we got where we are," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "Gina, just because they kissed doesn't mean that they'll get married. They're high schoolers. Let them enjoy some romance. I doubt they'll even get married."

Regina huffed and sat back in her seat. "We'll see," she said.

* * *

7 years later, Regina pouted as she saw her little prince standing at the altar. Emma leaned over and kissed the pout away.

"I told you so, you know," Regina said.

Emma looked at her, confused. "Told me what?" she asked.

"On the night of Henry's first date with her. They kissed and I went to stop them. You stopped me and told me that just because they kissed doesn't mean that they were going to end up married. Well now look at where we are," Regina said, crossing her arms.

Emma smiled sympathetically. "He'll always be your little prince Regina. But if it makes you feel any better, you were totally right."

Regina just smirked. Of course she was.


	9. Day 9: Uncontrolled Magic

Emma stood on the back porch of the mansion, trying to take deep breaths. She had just had another nightmare about what would have happened if they hadn't managed to save Henry back in Neverland. That was something she never wanted to see again.

It caused her so much panic to think that she could have lost him that easily, and would never have gotten to spend more time with him. Feeling a slight tingling sensation, Emma looked down at her hands and gasped. White sparks were starting to gather at her fingertips.

Emma felt panic take control. What if she accidentally hurt someone? She would never forgive herself if she hurt Regina or Henry.

Regina chose that moment to step onto the porch. "Emma," she said. "Just take some deep breaths okay? You can control it." She took a step towards Emma, but stopped when Emma violently shook her head.

"Stay away" Emma warned. "I don't want to hurt you."

Regina took another step. "You won't. I promise. But you need to calm down. Your emotion is just making it worse."

"Stop coming closer!" Emma pleaded. "If I hurt you, I would never forgive myself." Emma thought of a great hiding place. Some place that Regina wouldn't think to look. At first.

"Emma wait," Regina pleaded. But it was too late. In a puff of white smoke, Emma was gone.

* * *

"Where's ma?" Henry asked, coming downstairs for breakfast.

"I don't know Henry. I don't know," Regina sighed.

"What happened?" Henry asked.

"She had another nightmare," Regina explained. "Her magic was starting to get out of control because of her emotions. Instead of letting me help and calm her down, she poofed. And I don't know where to."

Henry smirked. "You wouldn't. Not right away. It's like, our secret spot."

"Well? Where is this secret spot?" Regina asked.

"Shouldn't we let her be alone for a little bit?" Henry suggested. "Maybe if she has time to think and relax she'll be okay."

Regina shook her head. "I know what unruly magic is like, and trust me when I say that being alone without help is not the way to go."

Henry hesitated. "Okay," he sighed. "There's a clearing in the forest that we go sometimes just to get away from all the craziness."

"That's where you two disappear to all the time?" Regina asked. Henry nodded. "Thank you Henry. I'll be back home before you know it."

* * *

Emma sat in the clearing, pleading with her hands to stop sparking. It was just a stupid nightmare. So why was it freaking her out so much?

She suddenly had a great idea. If she used the magic, maybe it would go away! Finding a tall tree, Emma focused on it and let her magic go. On impact, the tree started burning. It slowly started tilting, and eventually started falling.

"Oh that's not good," Emma said. She dived out of the way and let the tree fall. She heard someone shouting her name, but all she registered was the ringing in her ears.

"Emma!" Regina shouted, running into the clearing. She ran over to where Emma lay on the ground. "Are you hurt?"

Emma shook her head before scooting away. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"Because I care about you," Regina said. "And I know what uncontrolled magic is like. I'm not going to let you go through it alone."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't want to hurt you," she whispered.

"You won't," Regina said. "I promise." She reached out and grabbed Emma's hand. Emma gasped and went to pull away, but Regina held on tighter. Several beats passed before Emma relaxed.

"See?" Regina said. "I'm not hurt." She pulled Emma into a hug.

"Uncontrolled magic has nothing on me."


	10. Day 10: Science Project

**We've made it to Day 10! Not sure about any of you guys, but I'm really enjoying this story so far. Thank you all for reading!**

Regina walked into the kitchen and froze. It looked like an arts and crafts tornado had come in and destroyed the room. "What the heck is going on in here?" Regina asked. She glared at Emma and Henry, who both stood sheepishly behind the island.

"I have to do a science project," Henry said. "Emma thought doing a volcano would be cool."

"She did, did she?" Regina said. She looked at Emma and glared at her.

Emma smiled. "Hi," she said. Regina flashed back to the first day that Emma had arrived in Storybrooke. Oh how things had changed.

"Hi yourself dear," Regina said. "You better be the one to clean this up."

"Yes ma'am!" Emma said, saluting. Henry laughed and Regina couldn't help but smile. Of course she would get the ridiculous girlfriend.

Regina headed upstairs and changed into comfy clothes. Little did the town know, Regina actually didn't wear her nice clothes all the time. Every once in awhile, she actually indulged in comfort clothes.

Walking back downstairs, Regina smiled at the sight of Emma and Henry. They were gathered in front of the volcano, ready to dump in the baking soda. _So this is what love feels like_ Regina thought. She hadn't felt love since Daniel, but she was glad that she had loved again.

Stuck in her own head, Regina didn't notice as Emma and Henry shouted "She's gonna blow!" before ducking for cover. Shaking her head, Regina came back just as the volcano erupted. All over the kitchen. Even the ceiling had "lava" on it.

Emma and Henry slowly stood up and looked at the disaster that they had created. "Mom's gonna kill you," Henry said.

"Why me?" Emma said. "You're the one that wanted to put more baking soda in then was called for!"

"Children, children," Regina chuckled, walking into the room. "You are both responsible. Therefore, you both get to clean it up."

Emma and Henry groaned.

* * *

2 hours later, the kitchen was back to its normal pristine cleanliness. Emma and Henry collapsed onto the couch, completely exhausted.

"Why the heck do you have such a big kitchen?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "I like cooking. Made sense to have a big space to do it."

"What do we do about my science project?" Henry asked.

"You could make another one," Regina suggested. Henry and Emma groaned.

"And have to clean up the whole kitchen again? I'll pass," Emma said. Henry nodded in agreement.

Regina laughed. "I'll help this time. That way there will be no more exploding."

Emma and Henry looked at each other and shrugged. Might as well do it again. Plus, maybe if Regina helped, it would probably be done the right way. "Let's do this," Emma said.

* * *

Regina, Emma, and Henry all held their breath as Henry slowly poured in the vinegar. Emma was really hoping that it wouldn't explode like last time, because Regina would probably make her clean it all up again.

"This better work," Regina mumbled. The three of them waited and finally the volcano had the correct eruption. No big explosion, just a calm chemical reaction. Everyone sighed in relief. They all looked at each other and then laughed. Who would have thought that a science project could bring them closer together?


	11. Day 11: Ticklish

"What's this one from?" Regina asked Emma. She traced her finger across Emma's back.

"There was a guy that I was chasing. He had a friend that I didn't know about that was behind me. Before I knew what was happening, I was stabbed in the back." Emma said. She heard Regina gasp and tense. Emma reached over and grabbed Regina's hand.

"I'm still here," Emma said. Regina smiled shakily before tugging Emma onto her back. Emma looked at her curiously before complying.

Regina lightly touched Emma's side. Emma jumped and went to scoot away. "What's wrong?" Regina asked. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Emma shook her head. "No you didn't. I'm fine. Your fingers are just cold."

"Sorry dear," Regina apologized. She reached again for Emma's side and furrowed her brow as Emma jumped again. She was biting her bottom lip, and suddenly it hit Regina. Emma was ticklish.

"You sure there's nothing wrong?" Regina asked slyly. Emma mentally cursed. Regina had figured her out, and looked ready to pounce.

"Don't you dare-" Emma started, but was cut off as Regina pinned her arms above her. Smiling wickedly, Regina lightly ran her fingers over Emma's sides. Emma squirmed and tried to get away.

"Stop it Gina!" Emma shouted in between laughs. Regina just laughed.

"You have to beg for mercy," Regina teased.

"Never," Emma managed out. She swallowed hard.

"Very well," Regina said. "You asked for it." She smirked as she began tickling Emma again. Emma squirmed, and almost managed to buck Regina off. Key word: almost.

"Oh no you don't," Regina said. "Had enough yet?"

"Okay, okay," Emma said. Regina stopped tickling and raised an eyebrow. Emma waited until she felt Regina loosen her grip before flipping them over.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. She began wiggling under Emma's weight, hoping to get away.

"Nuh uh," Emma said. "You have to be ticklish somewhere."

"I swear if you even try I will fireball you so fast-" Regina threatened. She didn't get to finish as Emma started running her fingers lightly over Regina's body. She carefully watched Regina's face to see if there were any signs of discomfort.

Regina glared at her. There was no way she would cave. Years as the Evil Queen had taught her how to not show any emotion.

Emma didn't get any reaction from Regina on the upper portion of her body, so she moved to her legs. She smirked as she saw Regina's eyes widen.

"Emma wait-" Regina said. Emma smiled before lightly running her fingers over the surface of Regina's knee. Regina whimpered and squirmed, before the whimper turned into a full laugh.

"All you have to do is beg for mercy," Emma said.

"Never," Regina said between gritted teeth. Emma just smirked and tickled Regina again.

Several seconds passed, and Emma could see that Regina was close to breaking. "Okay!" Regina shouted. Emma stopped. "Okay, you win. Please just stop." Emma slid off of Regina and lay down next to her.

Regina glared at her. Emma just smiled and pecked her on the lips. "You know you love me," she said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "For some reason, yes I do. God help me."

Emma smirked. "Who knew that it was possible to make the Evil Queen beg for mercy?" Regina glared at her. Emma saw the plan forming in her mind, and quickly rolled off of the bed. She took off running and heard Regina following closely behind.

Both women laughed as Regina chased Emma around the house. If true love could be heard, that was what it would sound like.

 **I've gotten more into the habit now of writing a drabble a day, so look for a new story every day!**


	12. Day 12: Surprise

Regina walked into the mansion after a very long day. So many people wanted so much from her, and it was starting to add up. All she wanted to do was be able to sit and relax with her girlfriend and their son.

Speaking of girlfriend…"Emma?" Regina called. She knew that Emma had the day off, so where was she? Regina climbed the stairs leading to their bedroom, hoping that Emma would be ok.

"Hello?" Regina said. She peeked her head into the bedroom, but saw no signs of Emma. Shrugging, she headed into the bedroom, not noticing Emma hidden behind the door.

"Boo!" Emma yelled, jumping out from behind the door. Regina screamed and fell back against the wall.

"What the hell Emma?" Regina exclaimed. "What was that for?"

Emma laughed. "Relax Regina. I was bored, so I decided to have a little fun."

Regina slowly sunk to the floor as her breathing sped up. "Regina?" Emma asked. "Are you ok?"

Regina shook her head. "I don't like surprises," she whimpered. Emma mentally hit herself. There were still things that she was learning about Regina, and it looks like surprising Regina was something to add to the "Do Not Do" list.

"I'm sorry love," Emma said, crouching down to Regina's level. "I didn't know that it would scare you like this, or I wouldn't have done it."

Regina slightly smiled. "I'll be fine," she said. "Just give me a few seconds." Emma nodded before scooting to sit next to Regina. Regina rested her head on Emma's shoulder and relaxed. Within several seconds, her breathing returned to normal.

"So why don't you like surprises?" Emma asked.

Regina shuddered. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Let's just go to bed." Emma sighed before standing up. Regina could be stubborn when she wanted to. Nothing could make her speak if she didn't want to.

* * *

 _Regina had just gotten back from a wonderful riding lesson. She knew that once she came inside, her mother would make her do her lessons._

 _Regina walked inside, and was greeted by her smiling mother. Regina immediately hesitated. Her mother never smiled._

" _Mother," Regina said. "Is everything alright?"_

" _Everything is perfect, darling," Cora said. "For once you've done something right."_

 _Regina looked at mother, very confused. She hardly ever did anything right in her mother's book. So what had she done? "Mother?" Regina asked._

 _Cora smiled wider. "The king is downstairs, Regina. And he is proposing to marry you!"_

" _What?" Regina asked. Her? Married? To a king? "But I-"_

" _Shush darling," Cora said. "Surprise."_

* * *

Regina sat up quickly, gasping for air. She looked over and was relieved to see that Emma was still fast asleep.

Getting out of bed as quietly as possible, Regina headed downstairs. She needed to get away from everything and just think. She felt guilty for not telling Emma why she really hated surprises, but she didn't want Emma to think less of her for being scared of something so silly as surprises.

"Regina?" Emma called, walking into the kitchen. Regina spun around and saw her girlfriend rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Emma," Regina said. "What are you doing up? You should still be sleeping."

Emma shrugged. "You got out of bed," she said. "It woke me up. Why are you up?"

"Nightmare," Regina said. She went to leave the room, but Emma reached out and grabbed her wrist. She was wide-awake now.

"Talk to me Regina," Emma said softly. "I want to help. Let me in."

Regina sighed. "My mother surprised me one day with the news that I would be marrying Leopold. I've hated surprises every since."

Emma pulled Regina into a hug. "I'm so so sorry," she said.

Regina shook her head. "You couldn't have known," she said. "You're the first person that I've ever told that story to."

Emma squeezed her tighter. "I promise to never surprise you like that ever again."

Regina kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Emma said.


	13. Day 13: Claustrophobia

Emma couldn't help but smile as Regina stepped into the elevator behind her. Of course her wife would ride with her to the council meeting that they were both late for. Emma blamed Regina's sexiness on the fact that they were late.

The doors closed and Emma started taking deep breaths. She hated being enclosed like this, especially when her enclosure was also moving.

Regina glanced over and saw Emma slowing down her breathing. She reached out for Emma's hand, but was stopped as the elevator jerked to a stop. Emma's eyes snapped open, and she grabbed the railing of the elevator with a white-knuckled grip.

Regina mentally cursed as the lights shut off and Emma whimpered. Glancing over, Regina saw Emma slowly sliding down to the floor, curling into a ball and rocking herself. Her breathing was getting faster, and Regina knew that she had to intervene before Emma hurt herself.

Regina knelt in front of Emma. "Emma look at me," Regina said. "I promise that it's okay. You're safe. Just look at me." Regina reached out a hand, but Emma shrank away from her touch. Regina's heart broke even more. What was going on in Emma's head?

* * *

 _Emma held back tears as she was once again forced to leave another foster home. This one had just found out that they were going to be having a baby, and no longer wanted the burden of caring for other children._

" _Don't you worry Emma," her social worker said. "You'll find your forever family someday. But first, here is your new home!"_

 _Emma looked out the window and groaned. There were already so many kids at this house. How would anyone notice her and adopt her here? "Why this one?" Emma asked._

" _They were the first to offer to take you in," the social worker said. "They're a very nice family. You'll be happy here." Emma just nodded. That's what she said at every house._

 _Getting out of the car, Emma grabbed her suitcase and followed the social worker up to the front door of the house. The door opened to reveal a very friendly looking woman with a toddler on her hip._

" _You must be Emma," she said. "My name's Marie." She smiled kindly at Emma, and Emma immediately liked her._

" _I leave you in good hands," the social worker said before leaving. Emma didn't even say goodbye. She hated her social worker and her optimism._

" _This house is a very nice place," Marie said. "But we do have some ground rules. First, you must be respectful to all of the other children in the house. Second, you will have chores to complete. Fail to complete them and you lose dessert. Lastly, stay away from Charlie. He has some, uh,_ _ **issues**_ _that we can't control."_

 _Emma nodded. The rules sounded fair. And if someone had uncontrollable issues, why would she even go near them? "Got it," she said. Marie smiled and led her to an upstairs bedroom._

" _This is the last one we have," Marie apologized. "It's not very much, but when one of the older kiddos leave, everyone will move up in room size."_

 _Emma just smiled at her. "This is the nicest room that I've had so far," she said. "I'll be okay."_

 _Marie frowned at the fact that the tiny room was the nicest Emma had ever had, but blew it off. If Emma wanted to talk about it, she would._

" _I'll let you get settled then," Marie said. She hoisted the toddler higher one her hip before leaving the room. Emma began unpacking her suitcase, putting her tiny amount of belongings into various drawers and cabinets._

 _Suddenly the door opened again. Emma turned around and saw a boy staring at her. "Hi," she said. "I'm Emma."_

 _The boy stared at her. "I'm Charlie," he said. Emma's stomach did a flip. Wasn't he the one that she was supposed to stay away from?_

" _I should probably finish unpacking," Emma said. She turned back to her suitcase, and was roughly picked up from behind._

" _Hey! Put me down!" Emma shouted. "Somebody help me!"_

 _Charlie put his hand over her mouth. He dragged her to his room down the hall. Still holding tightly to her, he opened a large trunk in his room. Emma screamed as he threw her in and slammed the lid shut. "Welcome to the house," Charlie sneered._

 _Emma screamed at the top of her lungs as Charlie left the room and shut the door. She wasn't found until 3 hours later._

* * *

Regina didn't know what to do. Emma was completely lost in her own thoughts and wasn't responding. "Emma, please come back to me," Regina pleaded. She reached out and hesitantly grabbed Emma's hand in her own.

Emma winced and went to pull away, but Regina held on tighter. "Look at me Emma," she said in what Emma called her "mom tone".

Emma blinked a couple times before finally making eye contact with Regina. "Regina?" she whimpered.

Regina brushed some of Emma's hair away from her face. "Hey there," Regina said softly. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Regina," Emma pleaded. "Please let me out." Regina's heart broke again. She wrapped Emma in a hug.

"I'll try," Regina said. "But I have to stand up okay? I promise I'll be right back." She waited until Emma nodded before standing up. Emma still held tightly to her hand, so she pulled out her phone, hoping that she had at least a little signal.

"Regina?" Snow's voice said. "Why are you calling me? Where are you? The meeting is about to start."

"Emma and I are trapped in the elevator," Regina said. She heard Snow gasp, and knew that it wasn't for her, but for Emma.

"I'll get the dwarves and we'll be there as soon as possible," Snow said.

"Good," Regina said. "Hurry, please. And bring a doctor with you. Emma isn't doing the best with the situation." Before Snow could say anything more, Regina hung up and crouched back down in front of Emma.

"There's a rescue team on the way," Regina said. She rubbed her hands up and down Emma's arms, hoping to calm her down.

"How soon?" Emma asked. "I need to get out. Really bad."

"I know, I know," Regina soothed. "They said that they'll get here ASAP."

"That could be hours!" Emma said. She sounded hysterical, and her panic came back at full force.

Regina wrapped her in a hug again. "Shhh," she said, rocking them back and forth. "Why don't you tell me why you're so scared of enclosed places, hmm? I never noticed until now."

"You weren't supposed to," Emma said. "There was this one foster home that I went to that had this messed up kid in it. On my first day there, he locked me in a trunk in his room for 3 hours. I've been scared of enclosed spaces ever since. Especially in the dark."

Regina kissed her forehead, and sighed in relief when the lights came back on. She looked over at Emma, and wiped the tear tracks off of her cheeks, hoping to save her some dignity when the doors opened.

"Emma!" Snow said when the doors opened. "Are you okay? Regina requested a doctor, so we didn't know what to think!"

Emma slightly smiled at her mother's hysterics. "I'm fine, mom," she said. "Just really tired. I'd like to go home." She looked over at Regina, who nodded and took her hand before poofing them to their bedroom, pajamas and all.

Emma climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. Regina sat down next to her and began running her fingers through Emma's hair. "As long as I'm around, you will never face something like that ever again," Regina whispered.

Emma smiled before falling into an exhausted, but peaceful, sleep.

 **No one has reviewed so far and I'm running out of ideas! Please review with anything! Except sex scenes. I'll do them if I have to, but I would like to stay away from those. Lots of love to you all!**

 **I'm also thinking of doing a "guest writer" type thing. If anyone is interested, or if you know someone who might be, PM me! Okay I'm done rambling. :)**


	14. Day 14: Lola

**Yes that's right. Baby girl Swan-Mills is named after Lana's dog. She loves Lola so much she might as well be her daughter. Original prompt is at the bottom!**

Labor was definitely something that Regina had not been ready for. She was pretty sure that she had broken something in Emma's hand, but Emma hadn't let go through all 12 hours.

Looking down, Regina couldn't help but smile at her new little bundle of joy. Lola Maria Swan-Mills was going to be the most spoiled baby that had ever lived. She had two loving mothers, and an older brother that couldn't wait to meet her.

Regina heard a knock at the door and looked up. Henry stood in the doorway, awkwardly bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You can come in Henry," Regina said, chuckling. Henry shyly smiled and walked in, stopping at the edge of the hospital bed.

Regina reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair. "Everything okay?" she asked. Henry just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"I could hear you," he mumbled into her hospital gown. Regina squeezed him before leaning back and lightly bringing his eyes to meet hers.

"I'm okay now," Regina said. "I'm sorry you had to hear all that. But you have a sister that came out of it all." Henry looked at his little sister. Regina saw something flash across his face, but she didn't know what it was.

Lola stirred in Regina's arms and opened her eyes. Henry smiled. "She got mine and Emma's eyes," he said.

Regina laughed. "Now I'm really screwed! I can't have 3 sets of puppy dog eyes on me at once." Henry laughed and reached out a finger. Lola reached out a hand and latched on, looking at her big brother with awe.

Regina and Henry both looked towards the door as a flash went off. Emma stood there, holding a camera. "You have no idea how beautiful that moment was," she said. Henry looked between his moms and decided that now would be a good time to leave and let them have their own time with Lola.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat," Henry said. He delicately removed his finger from Lola's grasp and left the room.

* * *

Henry knew that labor was not going to be pleasant for his mom. He'd read the baby books when Regina and Emma were both gone, so he knew a lot. But to hear your mom screaming in pain? That was something that he never wanted to ever hear again.

Walking outside, Henry headed towards the forest. It was a good spot for him to sit and think. Sure his sister was cute and everything, but she had just caused his mom 12 hours of excruciating pain.

"Henry!" someone called. Turning around, Henry saw Ruby walking towards him.

"Hi Ruby," Henry said.

"Shouldn't you be inside?" Ruby asked. "I heard that Lola has officially joined the world." Henry just nodded.

"I was in there already," he said. "I'm just going for a little walk and then I'll be back." He turned around and walked away, leaving Ruby staring after him.

* * *

Ruby headed inside and was met by Emma. "Hey Ruby," Emma said. "Have you seen Henry? He said he was going to get food, but I couldn't find him in the cafeteria."

"I just saw him outside. He said that he was going for a walk. Looked like he was headed for the forest," Ruby said.

"Stay here with Regina and Lola. Tell Regina that I'm going after Henry," Emma said. She walked out the door without waiting for a response, leaving Ruby to awkwardly head towards Regina's room.

* * *

Henry sat on a tree trunk in the middle of his favorite clearing. It was the best place for him to be able to escape and just think for a while.

"Henry?" Emma called, walking into the clearing. "What are you doing out here?"

"I heard her screaming ma," Henry said. "She was screaming in pain for 12 hours."

Emma sat down next to him and put her arm around his shoulders. "You were 14," she said, wincing. "I was so stressed out, and you didn't want to come out, and when you were finally ready you were facing the wrong way."

Henry looked at Emma with wide eyes. "14?" he asked. Emma nodded. "Well then I guess I shouldn't be mad at a baby for taking 12 hours when I was 14."

Emma just laughed. "You were mad at Lola for taking 12 hours to come out?" Henry blushed and nodded. "Kid I'm pretty sure your mom is going to love you even more when she hears about this." Grabbing Henry's hand, Emma poofed the two of them back to the hospital.

They walked together into Regina's room, and Regina sighed in relief. Ruby quickly left the room. "Is everything okay?" Regina asked.

"Henry was being a little protective of his mother," Emma said, ruffling up Henry's hair. He swatted her hand away.

"Sorry for running off," he said. He looked down at his feet.

"Come here Henry," Regina said. Henry obediently walked over. "I believe that someone would like to meet you," she said.

Henry's eyes widened. "I don't want to hurt her," he said.

Regina just smiled. "You won't. Just copy how my arms are right now and you'll be fine." Henry nodded and arranged his arms the way Regina had hers. Regina leaned forward and put Lola into his hold.

After a few seconds of fussing, Lola settled down and snuggled into her brother's warmth. "Hi Lola," Henry whispered. "I'm your big brother. And I'm gonna protect you the same way I do my moms. I promise."

 **Original prompt from Jesson: Can you imagine a chapter with a baby (or some babies) Swan-Mills and her fluffy moms? And why not from point of view Henry…**

 **Thank you so much for the prompt! I tried to get it as close to what you wanted as possible while doing things my own way. Did anybody catch where I got Lola's middle name? :)**


	15. Day 15: Echo Cave

Emma was glad that Regina had decided to stay with the group and come with them to Echo Cave. Regina had looked like she was ready to storm off, but Emma had begged her to stay.

"I'm just going to warn you, this is not going to be a pleasant experience," Hook said. "The cave requires you to tell your deepest secret."

The group all looked at each other uneasily. There were some things that should be kept secret. "Who wants to go first?" Hook asked. They all started at him, and he sighed. "Guess I'm going then."

Regina stood frozen as Hook admitted his love for Emma (which she didn't look pleased about), Snow admitted to wanting another child, David admitted to not being able to leave the island, and Emma admitted to hoping that Neal was dead.

The bridge stretched over to where Neal was in his cage, but the cage wouldn't budge. "It needs one more secret," Emma said. The group all turned to Regina.

Regina searched her brain for a secret that wouldn't completely change everything. She had so many secrets, but every one of them would result in pity. If Regina hated anything more than Snow, it was being pitied.

Suddenly she thought of one. It would change everything, but maybe for the better. Regina looked straight at Emma, and thought of how much closer they had gotten recently, and how much that she was starting to love the blonde.

"I'm in love," Regina said confidently. Emma smiled at her, while the rest of the group just looked shocked.

"I don't think that was strong enough!" Neal shouted. "I'm still in here!"

Regina mentally cursed. Emma walked closer to her. "Just pretend that it's just me and you," she said. "No one else is here."

Regina nodded. "Since the day that Daniel died, I vowed never to love another again. It hurt too much to finally be happy and then have it ripped away from me." She glanced at the cage, and saw that Neal was still trapped. Still not strong enough.

"Keep going," Emma encouraged. "Just say all that's on your mind and then we'll worry about the cage."

Regina took a deep breath. "After the curse succeeded, I thought that I would finally be happy. But it was just the same day over and over again. I needed love in my life. So I adopted Henry. I felt love again, so I remade my vow. I would never love another in the way that I had loved Daniel. And I followed that vow. Until recently." Emma smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"I fell in love again. With you, Emma. At first it confused me, because I hadn't loved in so long. So why was I loving now?" Regina said. "And then the answer hit me. I fell in love with your stubbornness, your love for Henry, that stupid leather jacket you wear, and that death trap of a car that you drive. I fell in love with all of your little quirks. But mainly, I fell in love with just you."

Emma's smile widened even more. She pulled Regina to her and they shared a passionate first kiss. "I love you too," she said.

The women both jumped as a throat cleared. Looking up, they saw Neal standing awkwardly in front of them. "I got out," he said, awkwardly shuffling his feet. Regina smiled. Henry did the same thing when he was uncomfortable.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Regina asked. "Let's go get Henry." She reached out and intertwined her fingers with Emma's. The two of them led the way out of the cave, the rest of the group following behind.

"Did you know about that?" Neal asked Hook. Hook just shook his head. The two of them turned to David and Snow.

"We didn't know either," Snow said. David guiltily looked at his feet.

"I kind of figured it out," he said. "They spend so much time together, and have lunch together every day."

Neal and Hook groaned. "Did we just lose our girl to the Evil Queen?" Neal asked.

Hook sighed. "I believe we did, mate. I believe we did."


	16. Day 16: Proposal

**So I totally forgot to upload the chapter from yesterday, so here's another one to make up for the lost day.**

Regina walked up the stairs leading to Snow and David's apartment. Henry was keeping Emma busy by having a fun day out, giving Regina time to do the errand that she really didn't want to do.

Regina knocked, and to her dismay, it was Snow that answered. "Regina," Snow said. She still was on edge about Emma being with Regina, but David was luckily keeping her in check.

"Hello Snow," Regina said. "May I come in?"

Snow hesitated, but opened the door wider as David came up next to her and nudged her arm. "Thank you," Regina mouthed to David. He just smiled at her.

"So what's up?" David asked as the three got settled into the living room.

Regina took a deep breath. "I want to ask Emma to marry me," she said. David's smile got even bigger and Snow's eyes just widened.

"You want to what?" Snow whispered.

"Marry Emma," Regina said. "She makes me so happy Snow. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

David nodded. "Well you have my blessing," he said. Snow looked at him in surprise.

"You're okay with this?" Snow asked. David nodded. "Why?"

David shrugged. "I love you Snow, but technically you're the reason that Regina never got her happy ending the first time. Let her have it."

Snow's jaw dropped. She turned back to Regina, glaring. "Fine," she said between gritted teeth. "You have my blessing."

"Thank you," Regina said, getting up and leaving. As she left, Regina heard Snow begin to argue with David. Regina smirked. Trouble in paradise.

* * *

Emma and Henry arrived back at the mansion to find it completely empty. "Regina?" Emma called. No answer. "Didn't she say that she was going to work from home today?" Henry nodded, trying to hide his smile.

Emma walked up the stairs to their bedroom before seeing the note lying on their bed.

 _Emma,_

 _Surprise! I'm not at home! I'm sure you're very curious about what's going on, and I promise that you'll know soon._

 _Remember the spot where we first kissed? You know, the kiss that started it all? I'd head there if I were you._

 _XOXO_

 _Regina_

Emma couldn't help but smile. She had the best girlfriend ever, who clearly had something up her sleeve.

"Henry?" Emma called as she came downstairs.

"In the kitchen," Henry replied.

Emma walked in to see Henry digging through the fridge. "Kid, your mom is going to kill me if you ruin your dinner," she said. Henry just shrugged.

"I have to run out quick, don't know when I'll be back. Don't eat everything in the fridge," Emma said.

"No promises," Henry said. Emma laughed as she headed out.

* * *

Regina paced on the dock. She played with the box in her pocket, knowing that as soon as Emma arrived, she would want to know what was up. Regina had a speech planned out in her head, but she hoped that she would actually remember it when the time came.

"Regina?" Emma said, walking towards her. Regina turned to her and smiled. Just seeing Emma could brighten her day and calm her down.

"Hey there," Regina said, pulling Emma into a hug. "How was your day with Henry?"

"Fantastic," Emma said. "You raised one good kid." Regina smiled.

"So what are we doing out here?" Emma asked. She pulled away from Regina, but Regina held onto her hands. "Everything okay?"

"Better than okay," Regina said. She gave Emma's hands a squeeze before getting down on one knee. Emma's eyes widened and she gasped.

"Gina what-" Emma asked.

"Just let me talk," Regina said. Emma nodded. "When I first met you, I couldn't stand you. You were the birthmother of my son, and someone who could take him away from me very quickly. But as I got to know you better, I realized just how amazing you really are. You make me smile in a way that no one but Henry can, you make me laugh, you're always there for me, and you have always believed in me. I didn't want to risk loving again, but you, my dear, have made it worth it. So, Emma Swan, will you marry me?"

Emma stared at her with tears in her eyes. She couldn't make any words come out, so she just nodded. Regina smiled and slipped the ring on Emma's finger, before standing up and pulling her in for a kiss.

Emma's eyes suddenly widened. "My parents."

"Already talked to them," Regina said. "Your father is definitely on board. Your mother will tolerate it."

Emma laughed. "Who cares?" she said. "We're getting married." She leaned in and captured Regina's lips for another kiss.

 **So I was thinking of doing a character death/angsty type chapter since I haven't done that yet. Thoughts?**


	17. Day 17: Red Rose

A red rose was what started it all.

Regina was very knowledgeable with her flowers, and knew what each one meant. So naturally, a red rose made sense to give Emma for their first date.

Regina had never had to experience a date, considering she was married so young and didn't get to really experience all that a young girl should have. Emma knew this, and planned to make the night as easy as possible.

The plan for the evening was to just have a night walk on the beach, and enjoy each others company. The goal was to make it as natural as possible, since they had spent so much time around each other before.

Regina answered the door and Emma couldn't help but smile. For once, Regina was actually wearing comfortable clothes. "You ready to go?" Emma asked. Regina nodded before handing her a red rose.

A red rose was what started it all.

* * *

A red rose was the centerpiece at their wedding.

The flower had so much meaning and love behind it; considering Regina gave one to Emma every time that they had gone on a date.

Emma had grown to love the flower more than anything, and had insisted that it be a part of their wedding somehow. Regina was happy to comply.

While Regina was talking to guests and being social, Emma was walking around the room, lightly stroking each rose.

What Regina didn't know was that each rose that was a centerpiece was one that Emma had saved from their dates. Magic was very useful when used to conserve flowers. Smiling happily, Emma bent down and smelled the rose, like she had before every date.

A red rose was the centerpiece at their wedding.

* * *

A red rose was a peace offering.

Regina and Emma almost never fought, but when they did, it was never pretty. The fight had been over something that Regina viewed as stupid, but Emma viewed as important. Regina had gone horseback riding and had gotten hurt. No one had been able to find her until Regina had dragged herself, broken leg and all, back to the stable.

Emma had told her that she shouldn't go riding again. Regina very much disagreed, and said that it wasn't that big of a deal.

Regina walked hesitantly into their bedroom, and looked sadly at Emma. She was looking out the window, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Emma jumped as she felt something on her arm, but smiled when she saw what it was.

A red rose was a peace offering.

* * *

A red rose was a sign of comfort.

Emma left the doctor's with red-rimmed eyes. Regina didn't look much better. If they had caught onto Emma's cancer earlier, maybe things would have turned out differently.

When they got back to the mansion, Emma immediately wrapped herself in a blanket and collapsed on the couch. Thankfully, Henry had gone to friends house that day, or Emma wouldn't have been able to cry the way she was.

Regina walked over to her, red rose in hand. She always could find one in the house ever since she and Emma had been married.

Sitting on the couch next to Emma, Regina wiped away her tears before handing her the rose. Emma smiled and brought the flower to her nose to smell it. She sneezed and both women laughed.

A red rose was a sign of comfort.

* * *

A red rose was what ended it all.

Regina hugged Henry tightly to her as they walked together towards Emma's casket. Reaching out, both of them laid a red rose on it, before heading back towards the group.

One by one, people went up and put a red rose on the top of Emma's casket. Each one of them whispered something to her before heading back to where Regina and Henry stood.

As they lowered the casket into the ground, Regina heard Emma's laughter as she received one of her many red roses.

A red rose was what ended it all.

 **Holy crap I almost cried while writing this. I don't know where all the angst came from, but damn. Reviews are having problems showing up right now on the sight, but please still do so! If you leave me a prompt, I'll do it as soon as I can see my reviews again.  
**


	18. Day 18: Wooing Emma

**So I am able to see reviews through my email, so this chapter is dedicated to Guest with the prompt: "I'** **d love a story where Regina woos Emma and like Emma is kind of bashful not used to being treated right in past relationships." Thank you for the prompt!**

Over the course of their friendship, Regina had learned several things about Emma. Especially the little things that she loved. Emma was one of those people that loved the little things that Regina got for her, mainly because she had never gotten much when she was a child.

Knowing this was going to make wooing her easy. Regina had grown to love Emma as more than a friend, and thought that Emma felt the same about her. The only way to find out was to try.

Regina walked into the sheriff's station, holding her prize. She knew Emma's favorite food was a bearclaw, which was the prize at the moment in her possession.

"Good morning," Regina said happily, walking straight to Emma's desk.

Emma looked up from her paperwork. "Good morning," she replied. "I don't have the paperwork that you needed if that's why you're here."

Regina chuckled. "That's quite alright. I actually brought something for you." She reached out and put the bearclaw on Emma's desk.

"Oh," Emma said. "Um. Thank you." David snorted into his papers. It was so obvious what Regina was doing.

Regina smiled. "You're welcome," she said. "Now finish that paperwork!" Emma blushed and smiled as Regina walked away.

* * *

The next time Regina tried to woo Emma was at Granny's. They had started having lunch together every day, usually to discuss Henry. But somehow, the subject always turned to the two of them just talking about anything.

During these lunchtime sessions, Regina always took note of anything that she could get out of Emma. Her favorite color, favorite animal, favorite song, anything. Regina saved these in a special file in her brain, and planned on using each and every one of them.

It started with Emma's favorite color. Regina showed up to one of their lunch dates wearing red. Emma did nothing but smile, but Regina knew that Emma had picked up on the wearing of her favorite color.

* * *

The next day, Emma arrived at work to find a little stuffed animal bulldog on her desk. Attached to it was a little note.

 _Have a good workday! Hopefully this little guy gives you some motivation to finish your wonderful paperwork for me :)_

 _Regina_

Emma smiled before sending Regina a text.

E: Thank you for the bulldog!

R: You're welcome, dear.

E: Can I ask you a question?

R: You just did ;)

E: Regina.

R: Relax, dear. It was a joke. What's on your mind?

E: Why do you keep giving me things?

R: Why not? I can stop if you want me to.

E: No! That's not what I meant. It's just, I'm not used to getting this much attention. At least not in a nice way.

R: I feel like this is a conversation meant for us to have face-to-face.

E: I can be at your house is ten?

R: :)

* * *

Emma walked hesitantly up to Regina's front door. She went to knock, and then paused. What was she doing here? She turned to leave when Regina opened the door. "Running away?" Regina asked.

Emma turned back towards the door and smiled. "Sorry," she said. Regina just smiled.

"No need to apologize," she said. "Just come in. Clearly we have a lot to talk about." Emma nodded before walking inside.

"So…"Emma said. She sat down awkwardly on Regina's couch and looked at her. Regina chuckled and sat down across from her.

"Your father picks up hints better than you do," Regina teased.

Emma blushed. "Are we talking about all of the gifts?"

"Yes," Regina said. "And whether you would like me to continue them or not."

"That depends," Emma said. "What exactly is the hidden meaning behind it?"

"Hidden meaning?" Regina asked innocently. Emma rolled her eyes, causing Regina to laugh. "My dear, if you haven't noticed by now, I actually listen to everything you say when we have lunch together."

"Well I know that," Emma said. "But why are you being so, I don't know, overly nice?"

Regina smiled and shrugged. "You said once that when you were a child, you never got to experience being spoiled by having everything that you wanted. That's what I'm doing."

Both women turned as they heard a snort from the doorway. "That is such a lie," Henry said.

"Henry!" Regina said. She got up quickly and pushed him out of the room. Emma laughed as Regina huffed and came back to her seat. "Sorry about that," she said.

"What did he mean though?" Emma asked. She smirked as Regina shifted uncomfortably. She had pinned her.

"I'm not really sure," Regina said. "Would you like anything to drink?" She got up to leave but Emma grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.

"I think I got the hint now," Emma said. She pulled Regina to her and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

After they pulled away, Regina smiled. "Yes, I think you did."

 **Thank you for the prompt! Hopefully you liked it!**


	19. Day 19: Ava

**This chapter is dedicated to** **Shytyzulafan. Even though you reviewed before I wrote "Lola" I figured another Swan-Mills child wouldn't be a bad thing! Original prompt: "I was wondering if you could do a short on Swan Queen expanding their family. Either magically (biologically) or adopting. I think that would be beautiful!" Here we go!**

Emma and Regina had decided that a vacation would be a good thing. Since Regina had only been out of Storybrooke once, they decided that they would go to Boston since that was where she had gone.

As Emma drove towards the border, she reached over and squeezed Regina's hand. Regina looked at her, confused, until they actually crossed over the border. She shuddered as she felt the magic leave her body, forgetting that magic wasn't common here.

"You okay?" Emma asked. Regina nodded and squeezed her hand back.

"Where are we going to go?" Regina asked. Emma just smiled and kept driving. "Emma," Regina whined.

Emma laughed. "We'll alternate back and forth who gets to pick where we go," she said. "My first stop is a total surprise."

Regina huffed and crossed her arms. Emma laughed. Regina really could be a little child sometimes. "Did you make sure to leave detailed instructions with Belle? You know that Lola has been really picky about food lately," Regina said.

"Relax Regina," Emma said. "Yes, I left detailed instructions. Henry will also be home. They'll be fine." Regina sighed and looked out the window.

"This is the first time that I've been away from her for a long period of time," Regina whispered.

"And I promise that when we get home, she'll be safe and sound," Emma said. She pulled into a parking space, causing Regina to look at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Regina asked.

"My first part of this trip," Emma said. She unbuckled and got out of the car, forcing Regina to follow.

"But what is it?" Regina asked.

"It's called a museum."

* * *

"That was amazing!" Regina said. "I never knew that this world had so much history behind it!"

"Shh," Emma giggled. "You have to actually pretend that you're from this world."

"Oh right," Regina said. "Sorry." Emma just laughed and pecked her on the cheek.

"So what's your surprise?" Emma asked. Regina smiled mischievously and reached out her hand for Emma's keys. Emma rolled her eyes before handing them over.

Regina happily skipped to the car. She wasn't sure if Emma would like this spot, but it meant so much to her. Maybe she could help Emma see the good in it.

* * *

Emma gasped when she saw what parking lot that Regina was pulling into. "What are we doing here?" Emma asked, voice shaking.

Regina grabbed her hand. "You'll see the good parts of this place. I promise. Let's just go inside." She waited for Emma to nod before getting out of the car.

They walked hand-in-hand into the Boston Adoption Agency. "This is where I got Henry from," Regina explained. "I wanted to come back here and show you that it's not as bad of a place as you think it is."

Emma looked around and had to agree with Regina. Several couples sat in a waiting room, waiting to be called back to meet with the child that they would potentially be adopting. A lot of them looked happy, some looked nervous.

Emma's eyes landed on a little girl, about 10 years old, sitting in a chair by herself. She was sitting more towards the reception desk, and Emma saw what looked like a social worker standing at said desk. The little girl had a suitcase by her, and Emma's heart broke at the look on her face. This little girl was running out of foster families to take her in.

Emma let go of Regina's hand and walked over. She crouched down in front of the little girl, and nudged her leg. "What's your name?" Emma asked her.

"Ava," the little girl said. "What's yours?"

Emma smiled. "My name's Emma," she said.

Ava smiled back. "I had a foster sister once named Emma. She was really nice."

"How long have you been in the foster system?" Emma asked.

Ava looked sadly at her feet. "Since I was a baby," she mumbled.

Emma winced, and felt Regina's hand settle on her shoulder. She looked up and saw the same look in her eyes reflected in Regina's. This little girl didn't belong in the foster system. Emma stood up and led Regina away from Ava.

"I can't leave her here Regina," Emma said. "She's basically me. Abandoned as a baby, shipped from foster home to foster home. I need to take her home with us."

Regina sighed. "Lola is only a year old. You want to add caring for another child?"

"She's older though. It's not like we'll be raising another baby. She's been raised. We just have to do the loving part," Emma said. Regina looked over Emma's shoulder at Ava. She sighed in defeat. They couldn't leave that little girl there.

"Okay," Regina said. "Go talk to the social worker."

* * *

Henry was confused as to why his moms had come home from vacation early. Belle was doing a pretty good job with Lola, and he was doing his fair share. It wasn't like they couldn't handle a couple days on baby duty.

"Why are you guys home so early?" Henry asked as Emma and Regina came through the door.

"We picked up a souvenir that needed to be brought home right away," Emma explained. Regina snorted. Henry looked past Regina to see a little girl walking hesitantly into the mansion.

"Who's that?" Henry asked. "Is that the souvenir?" Ava laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that can be my nickname," she said. "I'm Ava." She held out a hand, and Henry took it. Ava looked down as she felt a tug on her pant leg.

"Hi there," Ava cooed. Lola looked up at her and held up her arms to be held. Ava scooped her up and gave her a hug.

Lola looked at her for several moments. "Sis," she said. Emma and Regina's jaws dropped. Lola had just spoken her first word.

 **So the prompt said to make this short. Whoops. Hope you all liked it! Bonus points to whoever can find out where Ava's name came from.**


	20. Day 20: The Little Things

**This chapter is dedicated to Guest (the same one who wrote the prompt for "Wooing Emma"). Thank you so much to those of you that have been reviewing with positive feedback, it's really helping to encourage me to keep going! Original prompt is at the bottom.**

Emma and Regina had just experienced their first fight. Most normal couples did it. Only they weren't normal.

Emma still didn't have full control over her magic whenever she was emotional, so she chose to leave the room before things got out of control and she actually hurt Regina. Only, that was what the fight was about.

Without Regina knowing, Emma had gone to see Gold about removing her magic. It was too unpredictable, and it tied her down to be the Savior. She didn't want to be the Savior anymore. She just wanted to be Emma.

Regina had been furious about how Gold couldn't be trusted, and how she could help Emma. Emma, being the stubborn woman she was, said that she didn't need Regina to tell her what to do. Then the argument started.

It had ended once Henry had come home, both women not wanting to worry Henry with their arguing. Emma left the room to go cool down, in her own little corner of the house.

* * *

Regina had cooled down, and now she was really worried. She knew that both she and Emma had said things that they didn't mean, and was looking to apologize. But she couldn't find Emma. And that scared her more than anything.

Throughout the years of getting to know Emma, Regina had learned that Emma ran whenever she felt that she needed to get out. So naturally, Emma had probably run.

Regina walked through the house, peeking into every room. "Why did I insist on giving myself such a big house?" she mumbled, as she opened yet another door.

"Mom?" Henry called. "What are you looking for?"

"Not what, who. I can't find Emma," Regina said. Henry smiled at her.

"I know where she is," he said. "It's her go-to spot whenever we play hide-and-seek." He turned away from Regina and began walking towards the part of the house that Regina was hardly in. It was dusty and dark, as if no living thing had ever been there. Which there hadn't been.

"I didn't even know this part of the house existed," Regina said. She coughed as she waved her hand in front of her face, trying to get rid of the dust in the air.

"We found it by accident," Henry explained. "We think it was made by the part of your mind that was good when you created the curse."

"What makes you say that?" Regina asked.

"The rest of the mansion is very precisely decorated," Henry said. "This part has just a bunch of stuff that makes you happy." Regina just looked at him, confused.

"You'll see," he said. "It's like, the house knows when someone else moves in, and creates a comfort room for them." They stopped in front of a door. "This is Emma's."

Henry turned to Regina. "Make things better," he whispered. "Don't let her run away." Regina nodded and opened the door.

* * *

Emma's comfort room looked exactly like her nursery in Snow and David's palace. How she remembered this room, Emma had no idea. But for some reason, it was comforting.

She and Henry had discovered this part of the house by accident, but it was the best accident ever. This room had everything that made her comfortable, including an easel.

Emma loved painting, although hardly anyone knew it. It had been at one of her many foster homes that she discovered this love, but she hadn't painted for a very long time. It was very relaxing for her, simply because she had the freedom to paint whatever she wanted. No one could tell her what to do when she painted.

Emma was so lost in her painting that she didn't even notice Regina enter the room. Regina gasped when she saw what Emma was painting. It was absolutely beautiful. Emma was painting the sunset just as it hit the water of the ocean. Yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and blue all mixed together to make the most realistic sunset Regina had ever seen on a canvas.

"It's beautiful," Regina whispered. Emma froze and turned around.

"How did you find me?" Emma asked. "You've never been in this part of the house before."

"Henry sold you out," Regina said. She walked over and looked over Emma's shoulder at her painting.

"I didn't know that you could paint," Regina said.

"I started in one of my foster homes," Emma explained. "It was one of the few places that I could actually be me."

Regina nodded. "I'm sorry," she said. "If you want to get rid of your magic, you can. I won't stop you."

Emma sighed and put down her painting supplies. "I was just frustrated. I don't actually want to," she said.

Regina kissed her cheek. "You paint beautifully, you know."

"Thank you," Emma said, blushing. "It's just something little that I do."

"It's the little things that made me fall in love with you," Regina replied.

 **Original prompt: "If you're open for a second prompt I'd love a story and it could be a follow up or prequel to the first idea that after a bad fight Regina learns all these things about Emma that no one else seems to notice she can sing she can draw she has a fear of something just a few little things she learns over time in the courting process it'd be a bit of a long story but a good one I think"**

 **So I wrote the story and then went back and realized that the review said nothing about painting. My bad. Consider it me making the prompt my own. Review!**


	21. Day 21: Birthday Party

**Hello again! I've missed you all so much! It's been such a painful 5 days, but I'm so thankful that none of you have given up on the story. Reviews are back up, so I can see all of your lovely reviews! Thank you all so much!**

Today was Ava's 12th birthday. After her adoption had taken place, Emma and Regina had finally learned that Ava was 11, and her birthday was only a couple weeks away. Neither woman knew what Ava's life had been like before they had adopted her, but they could assume that it wasn't pleasant.

"We have to make today perfect," Emma said. She and Regina were sitting in their bedroom, scheming how to make today the best day ever.

"We haven't even known her that long," Regina pointed out. "She's only been living here for a couple weeks."

"Which is exactly why we have to make it perfect," Emma countered. "This will be like a welcome to the family party."

"Snow already threw one of those remember?" Regina said. Emma rolled her eyes and pushed Regina playfully.

"Stop being so logical," Emma scolded. "When you're in the foster system, birthdays are just a reminder that you got one year older, and are even less likely to be adopted. We need to show her that she can celebrate birthdays now."

"We've never celebrated your birthday before," Regina said.

"That's not the subject at hand," Emma said quickly. "Today is about Ava."

Suddenly it hit Regina why today had to be so perfect. "You want to show her that her birthdays are something to look forward to before she starts dreading them like you do," Regina said. Emma winced, showing her that she was right.

Regina pulled Emma into a hug. "We don't have to make this day super extravagant to make it perfect," Regina said. "We just have to show her that she has a family. And they're not letting her go anywhere."

* * *

Regina and Emma walked hand in hand towards the school. Henry was outside talking to a group of friends while Ava sat on a bench, patiently waiting for him to finish so they could head home.

Upon seeing her mothers, Ava's face lit up and she ran over. Emma and Regina stopped walking and braced themselves for an "Ava Attack". The little girl sure did have a lot of strength to hug with.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ava asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. I love when you guys surprise me with coming to see me."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other and smiled. "Go get your brother," Regina said. "We have a surprise for you."

Ava smiled and ran over to Henry. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the group, right in the middle of his sentence. "Ava!" Henry complained.

Regina and Emma burst out laughing. Ava definitely had some spunk. "What's going on?" Henry huffed.

"It's Ava's birthday," Emma explained. "So we thought that we would do something special to celebrate." Ava's face fell and she looked down at her feet.

"Henry, why don't we go for a little walk?" Regina suggested. Henry hesitantly nodded and they walked off together.

Emma crouched down in front of Ava. "What's up?" she asked.

"I don't like birthdays," Ava said. Emma nodded.

"I know," she said. "I feel the same way. But I don't want you to be like me and hate birthdays for the rest of your life. I promise that you'll like this surprise."

Ava looked at her skeptically before nodding. "Okay," she said. "I guess we can celebrate my birthday." Emma smiled and took her hand.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Henry asked.

Regina and Emma smiled at each other. "Out of town," Regina said.

"You'd do that for me?" Ava asked. She knew that both of her mothers, especially Regina, hated going out of town because their magic went away.

"Of course!" Emma said. "It is your birthday after all. And birthdays are something to be celebrated."

"Including yours, dear," Regina said. Emma glared at her. Regina chuckled. "We'll work on it," she said.

 **And we're back! I'm so happy to be writing again. That seemed a little rusty, but hopefully you all liked it!**


	22. Day 22: Fishing with Henry

**So I went fishing yesterday with my dad, so I thought that this would be fun to write. Enjoy!**

It was a beautiful day outside, so of course the Swan-Mills family had to take advantage of the beautiful weather. Except what Emma and Henry wanted to do was something that Regina would not be caught dead doing in a million years.

"No way," Regina said. "I am not putting a hook through a poor fish's mouth for sport. Not to mention that worms are gross."

"You've literally tortured and killed people, and it's the hook through a fish that's bothering you?" Emma asked. She couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Regina glared at her. "People are annoying. Fish do nothing but happily swim in a pond."

Henry snorted and grabbed some more supplies before heading to the car to finish packing up. "See!" Emma said, pointing at Henry's retreating form. "Even Henry thinks that your argument isn't valid."

"Hey leave me out of this!" Henry shouted from the other room. Emma and Regina laughed.

"You two go have fun," Regina said. "Consider it some bonding time for the two of you."

Emma sighed before giving Regina a quick kiss. "I promise we'll let the fish go right after we catch them," she said.

* * *

Fishing was supposed to be a quiet sport, meant for those with high levels of patience and sharp eyes that can identify where fish might be. Emma and Henry had only the last one.

The pair made fishing a competition, seeing who could bring in the most fish. However, that is kind of hard when you have no patience whatsoever. Not to mention that they both played dirty.

"Hey!" Henry exclaimed as Emma plopped her line right next to his, scaring off the fish that he was currently trying to catch.

"My bad," Emma said, smirking. Henry glared at her before reeling in his line. He looked intently at the water, trying to see any signs of a fish waiting to be caught.

Emma smiled as she thought of an idea. Putting on a smaller hook, she stuck her line closer to shore. "Here fishies," Emma cooed.

"You talk to the fish?" Henry asked, laughing.

Emma smirked at him. "How many fish have you caught?" she asked. Henry stuck his tongue out at her and went back to watching his line. Emma looked back at her line just as her bobber went under.

"Victory!" Emma shouted. "That would make it 6 for me, and 2 for you." She took the hook out of the fish's mouth before gently tossing him back into the water.

Henry got an idea just as Emma was starting to straighten back up from letting the fish go. Setting down his pole, he snuck up behind her and poked her side, knowing that that's where she was the most ticklish.

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills!" Emma shouted, spinning around. She grabbed Henry and started to tickle him back, causing them both to lose their balance. Screaming, they both fell into the water.

Popping up to the surface, Emma glared at Henry. "This is your fault," she said.

"Yeah but you're supposed to be the responsible one," Henry countered. "Mom's gonna kill you."

Emma's eyes widened. "Crap."

* * *

Emma and Henry walked as quietly into the house as possible. The goal was to get upstairs, change, get back downstairs, and walk in like nothing had happened. If Regina questioned their clothing choices, they would try to convince her that they had been wearing their current clothes the whole time.

Of course none of that actually happened. "Where do you think you're going?" Regina asked. Emma and Henry spun around to see Regina casually leaning against the door frame leading into the kitchen.

"To get changed…" Emma said sheepishly. She backed up slowly towards the stairs.

"And get water all over my house? I don't think so," Regina said. She walked over to Emma and Henry. "In case you've forgotten dear, you do have magic."

Emma shook her head. "I don't have full control," she argued.

"You asked me to teach you magic. Consider this another lesson," Regina said. Emma glared at her.

"Ma I'm getting even more cold. Hurry up please," Henry said. Regina waved her hand and Henry had on dry clothes.

"What? That's not fair!" Emma whined.

"Payback for scaring my fish away," Henry teased. He laughed and ran up the stairs before Emma could grab him.

Regina laughed before kissing Emma and magicking dry clothes onto her. "How did you get wet to begin with?" Regina asked.

"Henry tickled my side. I grabbed him and lost my balance, which led to us both falling into the pond," Emma explained.

"That's what you get for torturing poor fish," Regina teased. "Karma can come back to bite you."

 **This was so much fun to write. I started laughing while writing it. I'm thinking of doing another angst chapter, or possibly a nightmare one. Or both. Thoughts or prompts anyone?**


	23. Day 23: Mother Knows Best

**Before I start this chapter, I have a question to answer from one of my reviewers. Bstix, you asked me in your review of Chapter 13, why neither of the women just poofed themselves out of the elevator. My thought behind it was 1. I really like hurt/comfort, so it worked. 2. Emma is clearly not in the mindset to use magic, and Regina is so concerned about Emma's well being that she completely forgets that she has magic to use. Hope that answered your question!**

 _A young Regina skipped happily into the house. She had just had her first riding lesson, and it was the best experience of her entire life. Granted, her entire life was only 8 years, but it was the thought that counted._

" _Mommy?" Regina called. She looked into her mother's study and saw Cora sitting at her desk, staring intently at a spell book._

" _What do you want Regina?" Cora asked. She looked impatiently at her daughter, and Regina felt a chill run down her spine. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come in here._

" _I just wanted to tell you how my first riding lesson went," Regina said quietly._

" _For heaven sakes Regina, speak up," Cora snapped. "A queen never mumbles."_

 _Regina looked in confusion at her mother. "But mommy," Regina said. "I'm not a queen." Cora looked up sharply and Regina withered under her gaze._

" _One day, you will be queen," Cora said forcefully. "No matter what it takes, you will be the ruler of this land."_

" _What if I don't want to be queen?" Regina asked. "I like my life now."_

 _Cora's magic lashed out and grabbed Regina by the throat. Regina was lifted into the air, squirming and gasping for breath. "You will be queen, whether you like it or not," Cora said. "After all, I am your mother. And mother knows best."_

* * *

Regina sat up with a gasp. She was panting harshly as her mother's voice repeated over and over in her mind. _Mother knows best. Mother knows best. Mother knows best._

"Stop it," Regina pleaded, covering her ears. The voice kept chanting in her head; never ending.

"Regina?" Emma asked groggily. "What's going on? Are you hurt?"

The voice in Regina's head changed tunes. _You're not worthy. You're not worthy. You're not worthy._

"Make it stop!" Regina shouted. She squeezed her head so tight that Emma worried that she was going to hurt herself. Putting the pieces together, Emma realized that Regina had just experienced another Cora nightmare. Those were the only ones that left Regina like this.

Most nightmares, Emma could wrap Regina in a hug, rub her back, and chase the nightmare away. The Cora nightmares, however, only had one cure. True Loves Kiss.

It sounded cheesy, but they had discovered it by accident. Regina had had a nightmare the night of their honeymoon, so naturally Emma had kissed her to try and calm her down. Not only did it calm her down, but also it brought her back to the present.

Emma hesitantly reached forward and wrapped her hand around Regina's arm. When Regina didn't try to pull away, Emma gently turned Regina's head so her eyes met Emma's. Regina's eyes had such a far off look; it looked like Emma was a ghost that she could see through.

Leaning forward, Emma gently pressed her lips against Regina's. Regina tensed, but after a couple seconds, she collapsed into Emma's arms.

"My mother," Regina panted. Her mind was back in the present, but the nightmare had still shaken her.

"I know," Emma said. "Just breathe with me." She took really elaborate breaths, encouraging Regina to follow her lead. Regina's breathing eventually evened out, but she quickly woke herself up again when she felt like she was drifting off.

"You can go to sleep," Emma soothed.

Regina shook her head. "No," she argued. "I really can't."

"Regina," Emma said sternly. "You need to sleep. I promise that I'll be here if you have another nightmare. But I don't want you staying up the whole night."

Regina started crying. "Why does she still control me?" she asked. "It's been so many years, and yet I still have nightmares from what she did to me when I was 8. I should be over it by now."

Emma softened. "What Cora did to you is something that anyone would find traumatizing. You can't expect it not to have a lasting impact on your life."

"It's weak," Regina said.

"It's human," Emma countered. "Having nightmares is entirely normal." Regina started shaking her head vigorously.

"Regina," Emma said. "Look at me." Regina slowly looked up and met Emma's eyes.

"I love you. No matter what nightmares you have. No matter what Cora may have done to you. I. Love. You." Emma said.

"I love you too," Regina said. Emma kissed Regina's forehead. She rubbed her hand in soothing circles on Regina's back. Within seconds, Regina was fast asleep.

* * *

Emma was woken up exactly an hour later by Regina having another panic attack. Sitting up, Emma reached out for Regina's arm.

"Don't!" Regina said. "I can do this." Emma nodded and waited patiently. It was killing her to watch Regina struggling, but she was also proud of Regina for wrestling with herself.

20 minutes passed before Regina let out the breath that she was holding. She locked eyes with Emma and hesitantly smiled. "I did it," she said. "I beat my mother."

Emma couldn't help but smile back. "I love you so much, and I'm so proud of you."

"I love you too," Regina said. "Mother no longer knows best."

 **Review?**


	24. Day 24: Running

**So thank you to "homosexual-dinosaur" for making my day. I read your review and just burst out laughing. Sorry for the angst. But not really that sorry :)**

Emma ran up the stairs as fast as she could. The goal was to be packed and gone by the time that Regina came home. Regina wasn't the one that she was running from, she was running from her parents. But Regina would stop her.

Snow and David meant well. They really did. But Emma was more than the Savior. She just wanted to be herself, but her parents expected so much from her. She needed to get away.

Emma heard the front door open and close, followed by the sound of high heels running up the stairs. Emma mentally cursed. She had wanted to leave a note for Regina, but Regina was ruining her plan.

"Emma?" Regina called. "Please don't do anything. Just wait a second." Emma mentally wrestled with herself. She needed to get away, but she couldn't just leave Regina without leaving a note of explanation. In the end though, her need to get away won.

Grabbing her suitcase, Emma poofed outside. She landed right next to her bug and hurriedly got in. Starting the car, Emma quickly drove away before she could change her mind.

* * *

"No no no," Regina said as she entered her bedroom. "Please don't have actually left." She frantically ran to the window in time to see Emma driving off in her bug.

"I swear, I am going to kill Snow and David," Regina growled. She poofed to their apartment, and was satisfied to see Snow and David looking absolutely distraught.

"Well?" Snow asked. "Where is she?"

"She ran," Regina said coldly. "I wasn't able to make it home in time."

Snow groaned and leaned into David's arms. David rubbed his hand soothingly on her back. "What do we do?" he asked.

"You two are going to do nothing," Regina said. "You've already done quite enough." With that, she poofed herself back to the mansion.

"Please have left something," Regina mumbled. She went through all of their drawers, but came up empty handed.

"Mom?" Henry asked. "What are you doing? Where's ma?"

"She had a little problem with her parents," Regina explained. "She ran. I'm trying to look for her, but I need something of hers to use for a locator spell."

Henry smiled. "I have you covered," he said.

* * *

Emma sat in her bug, staring across the town line. She wanted to run, and yet she couldn't do it. Regina was here. Henry was here. And as much as she currently didn't like them, her parents were here. She couldn't leave.

But she had to. If she stayed, she would be the Savior for the rest of her life. Never Emma. She couldn't deal with that. She had to get out.

Emma groaned and hit her head on the steering wheel. Henry would be fine without her. He had Regina to care for him. However, Regina was the problem. Regina had lost so much love already, that Emma running could produce lots of problems.

Suddenly, the passenger door of the bug opened and Regina plopped into the seat. "Hey there," she said casually.

Emma stared at her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here because I love you, and I'm not just going to let you run," Regina said. "Yes, you are the Savior. But you are also the love of my life. And I'm going with you anywhere. Even if it's out of town."

Emma looked at her in shock. "You'll run with me?" she asked, surprised.

Regina nodded. "I'd run with you anywhere," she said. "Besides. You can't run from me. Might as well take me with you."

Emma smiled and started the bug again. "Wait, what about Henry?" she asked.

"Hi!" Henry said from the backseat.

"What the hell?" Emma said. "How long have you been back there?"

Henry shrugged. "Mom poofed me in." Emma glared at Regina, who just smiled at her.

"We're a family," Regina explained. "Wherever you go, we go." Emma smiled and intertwined her fingers with Regina's before driving over the town line.

For once, Emma wasn't running away from her family. She was running with them.


	25. Day 25: Phone Addiction

"Henry needs an intervention," Regina announced, walking into the room. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Hello to you too," she said sarcastically. Regina sheepishly smiled at her before kissing her.

"Sorry," Regina said. "It's just growing concerning. Henry shouldn't be spending so much time on his phone! It's such a tiny screen. He could hurt his eyes or lose brain cells."

Emma laughed. "Regina, he's not going to go brain dead from playing a game on his phone."

"How do you know?" Regina pouted.

"All teenagers do it," Emma explained. "They've all turned out fine. But if it really bothers you that much, I'm sure you could talk to him about it."

Regina shook her head. "He won't listen to me," she said. "Whenever I try to discipline him, he just throws the Evil Queen card in my face."

Emma frowned. "He still does that?" Regina nodded. "I'm going to kill him."

"Emma wait!" Regina called. But it was too late. Emma had already left the room, leaving Regina no choice but to follow her and hope that Henry wouldn't get in too much trouble.

* * *

"Henry!" Emma shouted. She was more than pissed. Regina was Henry's mother way longer than Emma had been and he was treating her horribly.

"What?" Henry called from his room. "I'm right in the middle of something."

"Too bad," Emma said. "Get your butt down here right now."

"One second," Henry said. Regina winced. That was not the smartest move. She could see that Emma was close to losing it, so she decided that she should probably step in before Emma changed Henry into some kind of animal.

"Emma," Regina said. "Just let him finish whatever he's doing. He'll come here when he's ready."

"He's playing video games and being a brat. He can come downstairs when I ask him to," Emma replied. She marched towards Henry's room.

"Emma wait," Regina pleaded. "It's not that big of a deal that he doesn't listen to me."

"Maybe not, but you're no longer the Evil Queen. Anyone that thinks so needs to be set straight. Even if it is our son," Emma said. She forcefully opened Henry's door, causing it to bounce off of the wall with a large bang.

"What the heck?" Henry asked. "I said I would be down."

Emma waved her hand and Henry's phone appeared in her palm. "You can have this back when you apologize to your mom for still calling her the Evil Queen," she said.

Henry crossed his arms. "The book says that she is. I'm just listening to what the book is telling me."

"The world isn't that straightforward Henry," Emma said. "People can be both good and evil. Sometimes, fairytales don't have the full story, and the villain could really be the victim of the story. You never know, and you can't judge."

Henry's gaze softened as he looked at Regina. "I'm sorry mom," he said. "I shouldn't still be treating you like you're a villain without knowing your story first."

Regina smiled. "That's quite alright," she replied. "However, we do need to discuss your phone usage."

Henry glanced at his phone in Emma's hand. "I just like video games," he said.

"We know," Emma said. "But we think that maybe you should spend a little less time on the phone, and more time with your family."

Henry nodded quickly before reaching out his hand to take his phone back. "Agreed. Now can I please have it back? I'm in the middle of something very-" All 3 family members froze as Henry's phone vibrated and lit up.

"What is this?" Emma asked, looking at the screen.

"I believe it's called a text message," Regina said, glaring at her son. "And it looks like it's from a girl."

Henry gulped. Regina did not look pleased. "Well at least now you know that I'm not just playing video games…"

Regina snatched Henry's phone away from Emma. "Regina, what are you doing?" Emma asked.

"I'm letting this girl know that Henry is too young to date and that she should move elsewhere," Regina said simply.

"No!" Henry shouted. "Please don't do that! She's actually really nice, and she doesn't see me as the son of the Savior and the Evil Queen, she just sees me as Henry."

Emma quickly grabbed the phone from Regina and gave it back to Henry. "Just let her know that you'll be required to be on your phone a little less," Emma said. Henry nodded, and Emma pushed a protesting Regina out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Regina hissed. "He's been talking to a girl this entire time! I don't even talk to you that much!"

Emma laughed. "It's a part of teenage relationships," she said. "Just relax."

Regina crossed her arms and pouted. "Hey," Emma said. "You should be thankful. He doesn't have a phone addiction. He just has a major crush."

Regina glared at her. "It seems that now a phone addiction is the least of our problems."


	26. Day 26: Car Crash

"When will I get to actually drive?" Henry asked. He regretted his words as soon as he saw Regina's reaction. She looked like she wanted to throw up.

"Regina," Emma said. "Henry's had his license for 2 months already and he hasn't even driven yet. He needs to practice so he can become more comfortable behind the wheel."

Regina looked at them skeptically. "There's so much that could go wrong," she said. "You both could get hurt."

"You don't know that," Henry pointed out. "I'm actually a really good driver."

"That's not what I meant," Regina said. "I trust you. It's the others in town that I don't trust. There are way too many bars in town, and lots of people dumb enough to drink and drive."

"It's 1 in the afternoon. If anyone's drinking right now, they've got a serious problem," Emma said. "Besides, it's Saturday. Everyone is probably at home anyway."

Regina sighed. "Fine," she mumbled. "You two can go. But please be careful."

Henry nodded before running off to grab the keys to Emma's bug. Emma gave Regina a quick kiss and promised a promise that she wouldn't keep.

To come home safe.

* * *

Regina was freaking out. Emma and Henry were only supposed to go for a short drive. They had said that they would be back in about an hour, but it had been two. She wanted to call them, but she had promised that she would let them do their thing and get home.

Regina jumped as her phone rang. She picked it up quickly, only to groan and reluctantly answer. "What do you want?" Regina asked.

"You need to come to the hospital right away," Snow said tearfully. "Emma and Henry were in a really bad accident."

"Why didn't anyone call me before now?" Regina hissed.

"They were out in the countryside," Snow explained. "They found them only 10 minutes ago."

"I'll be right there," Regina said, before quickly hanging up. She slammed the phone on the table, cracking the screen. This always happened to her. She finally had love in her life, and someone had to take it away.

"No time for that now," Regina mumbled. "I have to get to the hospital." Taking a deep breath to compose her thoughts, Regina poofed to the hospital.

* * *

"Where are they?" Regina asked Snow.

"Emma just got out of surgery. She's doing okay; or at least that's what the doctors say," Snow said. "Henry is still in surgery. He's...he's um...he's not doing very well. He got the most impact from the crash."

Regina sat down heavily in a chair, putting her face in her hands. "How did this happen?" she asked. Snow looked at her sympathetically. Regina sounded so tired. Tired of this happening to her.

"A deer ran across the road. Being the wonderful boy that Henry is, he swerved to avoid it. But he swerved right into a tree," Snow explained. Regina choked back a sob. Her little prince. Always trying to be the hero.

"Regina?" Dr. Whale called. "Emma is requesting to see you." Regina nodded before getting up and following Whale back to Emma's room.

"Now she's trying not to show it, but she's very tired. So try to make it quick so she can rest," Whale said. Regina nodded before entering the room.

* * *

Regina stood in the doorway, watching the rise and fall of Emma's chest. She was alive, but badly banged up. Regina walked closer before sitting in the chair next to Emma's bed, causing her to wake up.

"Hey there," Emma croaked. "Guess we shouldn't have let Henry drive huh?" Regina huffed out a laugh before grabbing Emma's hand.

"He's still in surgery," Regina whispered. Emma squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry," Emma said. Regina looked at her in surprise. "I shouldn't have let him go driving in the countryside. I didn't realize that we would have to deal with a deer instead of a drunk driver."

Regina shook her head. "No need to apologize," she said. "If anyone should be apologizing, it should be the deer." Emma laughed and then winced.

Both women looked up as Whale knocked on the door. "I have good news and bad news," he said. He looked like he had just attacked something, or someone, in frustration.

"Henry?" Regina asked. Whale nodded.

"The good news is, he's alive. The bad news is, he's in a coma," Whale said. "He'll remain in the coma for the rest of his life, or he might wake up. We don't know at this point."

Regina and Emma nodded. Whale turned and left, letting Snow and David into the room to see Emma. Regina snuck out, letting Emma have time with her parents.

* * *

3 months later, Henry was still in his coma. Regina and Emma sat by his bed, looking tearfully at their son. "What do we do?" Emma asked.

"What Whale suggested," Regina said. "We shut off all machines. Whether he lives or dies is his own choice."

"We don't have to do this," Emma pleaded. "He's fine just the way he is."

"Emma," Regina said soothingly. "This is no way to live. We can't keep holding on to him just because we want him to stay. If it's his time to go, he'll go."

Emma collapsed into Regina's arms and started sobbing. Regina cradled her until she calmed down, before guiding her out of the room and nodding to Whale.

It was time.

* * *

Both women sat out in the waiting room, waiting for any kind of clue as to what was going on. It had been 10 minutes, and with each passing minute, Regina felt more hopeful that Henry had woken up and they were caring for him.

Whale walked out into the waiting room, trying to show no emotion on his face. Regina nudged Emma, who looked up and tensed at the sight of Whale.

"Well?" Regina asked.

"I'm so sorry," Whale said. "But he went very peacefully, I assure you. It was like falling asleep and never waking up." Emma sat staring straight ahead, so Regina spoke on both of their behalves.

"Thank you," Regina said. "I'm sure you did everything that you could." Whale nodded before leaving the waiting room.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma before poofing them both home. They both had some major healing to do.

 **I love you all, so please don't kill me. I warned you that there would be another angst chapter. Prompts anyone?**


	27. Day 27: Telling Ava

For once in her life, Emma Swan-Mills felt bliss. Henry and Ava were only 2 years apart at 14 and 16, with Lola being 3 now. Life had settled down now that Lola was sleeping through the night, and Ava had gotten used to being a part of their family. But Emma and Regina still had an interesting conversation to have with their daughter.

"How does one tell their daughter that they are a fairytale character?" Regina asked. "It's not like we can sit her down and say 'Hey Ava, I'm the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Oh and your other mom is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.'"

Emma laughed. "I'm sure we'll figure out something. It's not like she's not going to figure it out anyway. Or that she even needs to know."

"I hid it from Henry, and look how that turned out," Regina said. Emma winced. Regina had a good point.

"So how do we tell her?" Emma asked.

"I have an idea," Regina said. "But I don't think that you're going to like it."

"Try me," Emma challenged. Regina rolled her eyes. Emma certainly did have her father's competitive spirit.

"We watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Regina suggested. "And then we talk to her after the movie."

Emma nodded. "That could work," she agreed. "Only problem I see is that she could not be a huge fan of the Evil Queen and you would end up getting hurt. As much as I love Ava, you are my first priority."

Regina couldn't help but smile at Emma before giving her a kiss. "I'll manage. She deserves to know."

"Okay," Emma said. "Let's round up the zoo."

* * *

They ended up watching the movie during Lola's naptime. She was too little, and Regina and Emma wanted her to fully understand the conversation when they told her.

Regina and Emma had told Henry the plan, so that way he wouldn't question the movie. The goal was to watch the movie, tell Ava, and then answer any questions that she might have.

So far, the movie part was going well. Ava seemed to be enjoying the movie, and was sad when it was over, but happy that Snow White had gotten her happily ever after.

As the ending credits rolled onto the screen, Emma glanced at Regina. She may have claimed that she would be fine, but Emma saw that Regina was incredibly tense and ready to run if things weren't going well.

"What'd you think of the movie, Ava?" Emma asked.

"It was really good!" Ava said. "I haven't seen a lot of movies, so I always like when you guys show me a new one."

Emma glanced at Henry. This next question was important, and could give them a heads up on how to go about the conversation. That's why Regina and Emma had chosen Henry for it.

"Who was your favorite character?" Henry asked.

Ava thought long and hard. There had been a lot of good characters in the movie, but one in particular had stuck out to her. "The Evil Queen," she said.

Emma's jaw dropped and Regina gasped. "What?" Ava asked. "Was that the wrong character to like? Because I can like a different one."

"No, that's not it," Emma said. She glanced at Regina and saw her wife frozen in place. Regina wasn't used to being the favorite character.

"Why was she your favorite?" Henry asked. Personally, he was jealous of Ava. When he had watched the movie, Prince Charming had been his favorite. Ava had given the perfect answer.

Ava shrugged. "She didn't have a back story," she said simply. "There's always more to the story than what we see. She's a villain for a reason."

Regina winced at the word villain. She still hated that word. "Ava, have you ever read Henry's storybook?" she asked.

Ava shook her head. "Henry told me that when I was old enough I would get to read it."

Henry pulled the book out from behind him and flipped to the first page. "Start reading," he instructed. Ava looked at him curiously before taking the book. Regina, Emma, and Henry got up and left her alone to her reading.

* * *

Regina was in their bedroom pacing. She never paced. "Regina," Emma said soothingly. "Just relax."

"How am I supposed to relax?" Regina exclaimed. "The book just shows the Evil Queen. And it's pretty obvious that it's me."

Emma reached out as Regina passed her again and grabbed her wrist. She pulled Regina down onto the bed before wrapping her arms around her. "She's been here long enough to know that you're no longer the Evil Queen," Emma said. She kissed the top of Regina's head.

"Mom? Ma?" Ava called. Both women turned to see their daughter in the doorway, holding the storybook.

"Hey there," Emma said. "Come on in. We can have a nice talk." Ava nodded before walking over and climbing onto their bed.

"So," Ava said after several beats. "You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Which means that Grandma and Grandpa are Snow White and Prince Charming?" Emma nodded.

Ava turned to Regina. "And you're the Evil Queen?"

Regina hesitantly nodded. "But not anymore," she assured. "I've changed so much."

Ava nodded in satisfaction. "Like I said before. You must have been 'evil' for a reason. It's just not written down, because every story needs a villain. Villains are just misunderstood."

Emma beamed at Ava. She looked over at Regina, and saw that Regina was very overwhelmed. "You are so amazing," Regina whispered. She leaned forward and wrapped Ava in a hug.

Emma's heart melted and she joined in on the hug. Telling Ava had not gone how they had planned, but that had been for the better.

 **There's some fluff to make up for the previous chapter. I got a question about what kind of prompts that I want, and really I'll take anything. Whatever you guys want to read is fine by me. Except for sex scenes. That is a direct no. Love to you all!**


	28. Day 28: Harry Potter

**So I forgot to upload Day 27 yesterday, so here's Day 28 as well to get things back on schedule. I don't own anything pertaining to Harry Potter.**

"Henry!" Emma called. "Dinner is ready!"

"One second!" Henry replied. "I'm right in the middle of a chapter." Emma smirked. Who would have known that Henry would love Harry Potter so much that he spent most of his time in his bedroom?

"Is he reading again?" Regina asked. "I don't know why he's so obsessed with it; his life is basically a story like this."

"No it's not," Henry said, coming downstairs. "I don't get to do magic or anything cool like that. Harry does." Regina sighed and went back to dish out dinner.

"You should get her to read it," Henry whispered to Emma. "She'd probably like it."

"When you find a way to make your mom do something, feel free to let me know," Emma said. Henry laughed and went to sit at the dinner table.

Emma walked into the bedroom that she shared with Regina, carrying the first Harry Potter book. "What are you doing?" Regina asked. "I thought you had already read all of the Harry Potter books."

"It's not for me," Emma said. "It's for you." Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma.

"That is a child's book," Regina pointed out. "And I don't know if you've noticed dear, but I lived in a world that had trolls, and dragons, and magic."

"C'mon," Emma pleaded. "Just try it. For me?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine. For you. But if I don't like it, you AND our son have to drop it." Emma smiled and held out her hand with the book in it.

"You better get to it," Emma said. "You have 309 pages to read."

* * *

Regina was hooked. As much as she hated to admit it, she actually really liked the Harry Potter book. After finishing the first one, she had secretly snuck into Henry's room and taken the rest of them. If Henry noticed that books were missing, he didn't bring it up.

Regina was almost done with _Prisoner of Azkaban_ and was very upset. How could Peter Pettigrew let Sirius Black go to prison for his mistake? And then let Harry think that Sirius was the bad guy?

Regina knew that Emma was at the station, and decided to text her.

R: _What have you done to me?_

E: _What do you mean?_

R: _These books! They're ruining my life_

E: _Books? I thought you only read the first one_

R: _I may have taken the rest of the series from Henry's room…_

E: _Yes! Wait. Aren't you at work?_

R: _Nothing to do but paperwork anyway_

E: _I've created a monster_

R: _:p_

E: _I have to go chase Pongo, but we'll talk about this later_

R: _This conversation isn't over_

* * *

Regina sighed as she closed the last book. She couldn't believe that it was over. There was nothing after the last book. What house did Albus get sorted into? What did Teddy end up doing with his life? There were so many unanswered questions!

"Looks like you're all done," Emma said, sitting on the bed next to Regina.

"I can't believe that it's over," Regina sighed. "It's just done. That's it. Nothing more. How could she do this to me?"

Emma laughed. "You and every other Harry Potter reader. Welcome to the world of fantasy writing."

"I hate you," Regina grumbled. "Making me read this series."

Emma kissed her before snatching the book from her. "Don't be upset," Emma said. "She's coming out with another book anyway."

"Really?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "You bet. And we'll be one of the first people in line outside of the bookstore to pick it up."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Regina said. Who would have known that she, a "fantasy" character herself, would get so attached to a book character?

Wait. Did that mean that Harry Potter was real too?


	29. Day 29: Mood Ring

Emma had always considered mood rings a dumb child's toy. They never really worked, and most of the time the color rubbed off onto your hand anyway. But this mood ring had to be special. It had, after all, come from Gold's shop.

Henry had gone to look for something for a school project, and had liked the look of the ring. He brought it home, much to Regina's dismay, and had happily shown Emma the ring. Emma had waited until Henry was off doing homework to give the ring a try.

Slipping on the ring, Emma gasped. The ring glowed a dark shade of blue, signaling that Emma was very happy. She wholeheartedly agreed. She was very happy. Smiling, Emma walked into the kitchen where Henry was dutifully doing his homework.

"Put this on," Emma commanded. "It really works."

Henry rolled his eyes. "I bought it for fun, ma. It doesn't actually work."

"Just try it," Emma said, holding out the ring. "Try it, and then you can decide what your think about it."

Henry nodded and slipped the ring on. His eyes widened as the color changed from dark blue to a bright yellow. "It really worked," he whispered. "It turned yellow. And I'm nervous about this upcoming test. It was right."

Emma smirked. "Told ya," she said.

"We gotta get mom to do this!" Henry exclaimed, pulling off the ring. "I wonder what her color would be."

"Hold your horses there kid," Emma said. "We can't just spring stuff on her, remember? Plus she doesn't like anything that comes from Gold's shop."

Henry nodded before handing Emma the ring. "You do it," he said. "Pretend that you're proposing or something romantic."

Emma laughed and held up her left hand. "Your mom already beat me to that."

"Touché," Henry muttered.

"I got it," Emma said. "I'll be back in no time, mood and all."

* * *

"Regina?" Emma called.

"Up here," Regina replied. She was in their bedroom, going through all of her clothes. "I need to get rid of some of this stuff," she said.

"Why?" Emma asked. "You look so sexy in all of it."

Regina laughed. "Thank you dear. But we need more closet space for your things. You are moving in fully quite soon."

Emma couldn't help but smile at that. She had a few clothing items in the closet already, but most of her stuff were still in Snow and David's apartment.

"How are you feeling about all of this?" Emma asked. She ran the mood ring in between her fingers, marveling at how the ring changed from dark blue to lime green. Romance. Of course.

"I'm excited," Regina said. Emma looked at her sharply. That was the only answer that she was going to get?

"Hey I want to test something quick," Emma said. Regina turned and looked at her curiously.

"Henry gave me this old ring of his," Emma explained. "He said that it's your ring size, so I thought that we could try it out. Make sure that your ring size hasn't changed."

Regina looked at her skeptically before giving Emma her hand. Emma smiled before slipping the ring on. The ring hesitated before turning from lime green to a slightly darker green. Mixed emotions.

"Did that ring just change color?" Regina asked, starting to pull her hand away.

"Yeah, it's just one of Henry's toys," Emma reassured. "Just be glad that this won't be our actual wedding rings!"

Regina smiled, but the ring rapidly turned from green to brown. Fear. Emma looked at the ring with wide eyes. Why had the ring turned brown when Emma had mentioned the wedding?

"Regina?" Emma asked. "Why did you suddenly get scared when I mentioned the wedding?"

"That's not a toy is it?" Regina whispered. "That's the mood ring from Gold's shop." Emma nodded before slipping it off of Regina's finger. As soon as the ring rested in Emma's palm, it turned from brown to bright yellow. Of course she was nervous.

"Well it certainly is accurate," Regina said. Emma squeezed her hands.

"I repeat my question," Emma said. "Why did you suddenly get scared when I mentioned the wedding?"

Regina sighed and looked down at her feet. "Every person that I've ever loved, I've lost. All of them. Every time. I can't lose you too."

Emma pulled Regina in for a kiss. "I don't plan on going anywhere," she whispered.

"You say that, but you have no control over it," Regina countered. The ring touched her hand and starting glowing an even brighter brown.

Emma glanced at it before kissing Regina again. "You're right. I don't have control over it. But if you do lose me, you'll see me again someday. It wouldn't be goodbye forever. But. I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, because I will always fight tooth and nail to be with you."

Regina smiled and hugged Emma tightly. Their fingers intertwined as they pulled apart, and the mood ring brightly glowed a light purple. Love.

 **Ahhh that was so fluffy and cheesy. I honestly don't know what made me think of a mood ring. Personally, I hate them because they always just give me green for "mixed emotions" and then the green rubs off onto my finger. Anyway, prompts anyone?**


	30. Day 30: Cygnus the Swan

**Happy Memorial Day everyone! This chapter is dedicated to bstix with the prompt "Next time you're in the mood for fluff writing, can you have Emma and Regina sitting out the back watching the stars?" That I can! Thank you for reviewing so much, it's been making my day.**

When Emma had been younger and on the run from her social worker, she had always loved looking at the stars. They were something that was there every night, and Emma looked forward to their consistency. Her personal favorite had always been Cygnus, since he was a swan.

Even now, Emma still loved stargazing. The constellations were truly beautiful, and even the stars themselves were. Emma smiled as she reached out towards the sky, remembering in the past how she had dreamt about being the first person to catch a star.

Emma's smile widened as she heard someone walking up from the house. She didn't care if it was Henry or Regina, either one would be fun to introduce stargazing to. Looking up, Emma smiled at Regina.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. She had been searching for Emma to help with Henry's math homework, and had seen Emma lying on the grass from the window.

"Stargazing," Emma replied. "I'm waiting for Cygnus to show his face."

"Who the heck is Cygnus?" Regina asked. Emma laughed and tugged Regina's hand, implying that Regina should join her on the grass. Regina sighed before complying.

"Cygnus is a constellation," Emma explained. "My favorite one in fact. He's shaped like a swan. Whenever I looked up and saw him, I felt like I had an ally in the world. No matter what, Cygnus was watching over me."

Regina squeezed Emma's hand. "So where is he usually located?" she asked.

Emma pointed to a cross in the sky. "That's him," she said. "He usually only appears in late summer evenings, but that's him." She couldn't help but smile. Cygnus may be 1,500 light years away, but he felt closer than that.

"I'm amazed that you can see a swan out of that cross," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "You use your imagination," she said. Regina rolled her eyes.

"What are you guys doing?" Henry asked. He walked out and sat on the other side of Emma in the grass.

"Stargazing," Emma and Regina said at the same time.

"We just learned about this is school!" Henry said excitedly. He pointed to Scorpius and began to chatter about Antares, Scorpius' biggest star, and how big it is. Regina just looked confused, but listened. Emma looked at him with pride.

Emma pointed at Cygnus. "Do you know who that is?" she asked Henry. Henry shook his head. "That's Cygnus," she said.

"What is he shaped as?" Henry asked.

Emma smiled. "A swan," she said. Henry looked back up and smiled at the cross that signified where Cygnus flew. He lay down in the grass and grabbed Emma's hand. Emma smiled as she relaxed and looked up at the night sky.

She had her son to her left, and the love of her life to her right. Emma smiled up at Cygnus. "Thank you," she whispered.


	31. Day 31: Parade

**So fun fact: I had no idea who Cygnus the Swan was, or what the colors of a mood ring actually meant. I googled all that stuff. I take my stories very seriously :) This chapter was an idea that I had yesterday, but I liked the stargazing prompt too much to wait. Happy late Memorial Day everyone!**

Even though Storybrooke was a town that no one outside of the town knew about, Emma was still determined to introduce as many "American" traditions as possible. Regina had thought that parades were ridiculous, but Emma had just used her puppy dog eyes, and a parade was suddenly happening.

Most of the town was overly excited for the parade. They had never seen anything like it, since that closest thing that they had seen to a parade was royalty riding through the forest.

Emma was the head of all of the preparations, much to Regina's annoyance. She wanted Emma at home, not out decorating some meaningless cars for people to ride in. Not to mention that the thought of a parade made her extremely anxious.

Emma, of course, had insisted that the parade be as traditional as possible, so Henry had picked up the trumpet to be a part of the marching band. This did nothing but annoy Regina more. Not only was her girlfriend hardly ever home, her son now was making noises that sounded like a dying cow.

The day before the parade, Emma was finally home. Everything had been decorated and set up, and Emma was so proud of how the town had come together to make the parade happen. That night she barely slept, dreaming about how amazing everything would be.

* * *

The next day, all of those who were participating gathered at the start of the parade and lined up. The band would go first, followed by the line-up of all of the cars full of Storybrooke's most important members. This, unfortunately, included Regina.

"I don't see why I have to do this," Regina whined as she got into the car labeled "Mayor of Storybrooke". "They all know who I am."

Emma rolled her eyes as she joined Regina in the car. Regina had agreed to be in the parade only if Emma would ride with her. "It's part of the fun," she said, giving Regina a quick kiss on the cheek.

Regina sighed and tried to hide her discomfort. She hated being the center of the town's attention. It never went well.

Emma reached over and grabbed Regina's hand, giving it a squeeze. "The route isn't that long," she said. "It'll be over before you know it." Regina tried to smile, but Emma saw right through it.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Regina mentally cursed. Of course Emma would see right through her. "It's the idea of being the center of the town's attention," Regina explained. "The last time they were all gathered like this and I came through, they would curse at me and throw things at my carriage."

"They really did that?" Emma asked. She looked beyond angry.

"Yes," Regina whispered. She didn't want to upset Emma too much or she would go off on the whole town. "I'm just nervous about their reactions is all."

"Well," Emma said. "I believe I have a solution to that problem." She let go of Regina's hand and climbed out of the car. Regina watched in confusion as Emma walked to her side of the car and opened the door.

"Come on," Emma said, holding out her hand. "We're going to walk through this parade. Together."

Regina smiled before taking Emma's hand and getting out of the car. Their driver, some random town member who used to serve as one of Regina's knights, looked at them curiously.

"It's too hot to sit in the car," Emma said. "We're just going to walk." The driver shrugged before walking off to join the rest of the town watching the parade.

The band started playing and marched off, starting the parade. Regina and Emma followed the cars, hand in hand, smiling at the town. Walking with Emma, Regina heard nothing but cheers from the town.

The Evil Queen truly was gone.

 **And that concludes the first month of this story! I can't believe that it's already been 31 days. I feel so accomplished, but then I remember that I have 334 days left. Prompts anyone?**


	32. Day 32: Secretly Getting Along

**This chapter is more Regina and Snow fluff, but Emma will come in. I missed Jared's birthday by 2 days, so this is a happy belated birthday present :) Enjoy!**

When Emma and Regina had gotten married, David had immediately considered her a Charming, whether she wanted the title or not. Snow, on the other hand, was still getting used to the idea. She had been supportive of the two women dating, but she never thought that it would go past that.

Things were still tense between Snow and Regina, but every once in awhile they came to an agreement that they needed to get along.

Regina had reluctantly agreed to let Snow and David come over to help with preparations for Henry's birthday. So far things were going well. No one had tried to kill each other, until Snow and Regina discovered that they were missing butter.

"I can go get some," Emma volunteered. She sucked at baking anyway, and wasn't really being that much of a help to her wife and mother.

"I'll go with you," David said. He also sucked at cooking.

"But won't that leave those two alone?" Emma asked. Regina and Snow both rolled their eyes.

"We've made it all morning without killing each other," Regina said. "We need butter. Go."

Emma and David looked at each other and shrugged before leaving the house. "So you really won't kill me?" Snow asked.

"Don't tempt me," Regina said.

* * *

20 minutes later, Emma and David arrived back at the mansion. They walked in to complete silence. "What's going on?" Emma whispered.

"They finally snapped," David whispered back. "Regina killed Snow." He chuckled as Emma hit him on the arm. They walked into the kitchen and saw no one. The kitchen had been cleaned up though.

"Where are they?" Emma asked. They put down their grocery bags (they had gotten more than their wives had asked for) and walked into the living room. Emma gasped. Snow was sitting upright, fast asleep with her head lying on the back of the couch. Regina's head was in Snow's lap, and she too was fast asleep.

"They must have cleaned the kitchen up," David whispered. "Then they got tired and decided to sit down for a second, but fell asleep."

Emma nodded. "They were probably farther apart, but Regina laid down and then Snow shifted in her sleep. Regina was only half-awake and thought that Snow was a pillow."

"Maybe we should wake them up," Emma suggested. "That way when they wake up, they won't kill each other."

David shook his head. "You can turn us invisible, right?"

"Yeah…" Emma said. She looked at David skeptically. What was he planning?

"Do it. Then we'll make a noise and wake them up. Just watch," David said. Emma snapped her fingers, making them both invisible. David reached over and delicately tipped over a cup sitting on the coffee table. Snow sleepily opened her eyes and shifted, causing Regina to wake up.

Regina's eyes widened as she realized that she was currently using Snow as a pillow. She went to sit up, but Snow stopped her. Snow started playing with Regina's hair, which caused Regina to relax. Emma's jaw dropped.

"Remember when I was a little girl, and you would let me braid your hair?" Snow asked. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes because I certainly wasn't mentally planning your murder the whole time," Regina said sarcastically. Snow just laughed.

"I really am sorry," Snow said quietly. "I was only thinking of myself at the time. I wanted to have a mother again. And you were going to leave me, and Cora got into my head-"

"Snow," Regina interrupted. "I don't know if you've noticed, but without you, I wouldn't currently be married."

Emma didn't think her jaw could drop any farther, but apparently it could. Her mother and Regina were actually having a decent conversation. Was their arguing all for show?

"I had nothing to do with you and Emma getting married," Snow argued.

"She's your daughter," Regina pointed out. "Without you, she never would have existed." Snow smiled at Regina, who smiled back.

David grabbed Emma's hand, and they left the room. Once in the kitchen, Emma got rid of the invisibility spell. "They've liked each other this whole time?" Emma whispered.

David nodded. "But only when they're alone. Snow's told me about it. It's the only time that Regina allows Snow to get close."

At that moment, Regina and Snow entered the kitchen. "I didn't even hear you guys come back," Regina said, giving Emma a quick kiss.

"Let's get back at it," Snow said, grabbing the butter from the bag.

Regina rolled her eyes. "By all means, let's just dive right back in." Emma and David exchanged a glance. Things were back to normal. Emma looked at Snow and saw a brief flash of disappointment cross her face. She wished that Regina would be nice other than when they were alone.

Emma knew that what she was saying next would be risky. But it had to be done. "I mean we might as well. You guys both took a nice nap anyway," she said. She smirked as both Snow and Regina stared at her with wide eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina said.

"Don't deny it," Emma said. "You guys had a cute little moment. It's okay for you two to actually get along in public spaces now."

Regina playfully hit Emma's arm. "Don't push it," she warned. "Family settings are fine. However, we do have a public reputation to uphold."

Snow nodded as Emma and David laughed. "Look at this," Regina said slyly. "Snow, I do believe our spouses are laughing at us."

"I think that you're entirely right Regina," Snow said. Emma and David's eyes widened. Regina casually dipped her finger in some frosting before quickly smearing it on Emma's face.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. She dipped her finger in the frosting and started chasing Regina around the kitchen. Within several minutes, a full out frosting war was happening with both couples.

When everything had calmed down, Regina looked at the mess that was the kitchen. But she realized that she didn't care. It was worth it.


	33. Day 33: Shots Fired

**I just watched the episode of "Castle" where Beckett is shot, so that's what this chapter is based off of. Enjoy!**

Even though the town didn't necessarily like Regina, they all agreed that she was a much better mayor than Snow. She got things done, and knew how to get everyone to sit down and shut up during town meetings. Except for the one time she couldn't.

It had started off like any other town meeting. People had complaints and concerns, which Regina took care of easily. She glanced at Emma in the front row every once in awhile; just to remind herself that after all the chaos was over, Emma would snuggle with her on the couch to relax.

The meeting had already been going on for an hour when a man Regina had never seen stood up. Regina tried to place where she had seen him before, but couldn't recognize him. Maybe he was one of her knights?

"I have a question," the man said. "And you better answer it honestly." Regina raised an eyebrow at his rudeness, but froze when she saw him pull the gun from his jacket. The whole room gasped, and Emma and David were quick to draw their own guns and point it at the man.

"Put it down!" Emma shouted. The man was lazily waving the gun around, pointing it at random town members.

"Hold your horses," he said. "I have a question for our lovely mayor first." He turned to Regina and pointed the gun right at her. Emma gasped and began to panic.

Regina glanced at Emma. She had to act strong for her fiancé, or the situation would only get worse. "What's your question?" she asked.

"When you cast the curse, did you feel any remorse?" the man asked. "You ripped apart families, did you know that? My wife and kids were in a different part of the country. So did you feel any remorse?"

"Not at the time," Regina said. "But I do now. And I'm terribly sorry about your family. I'm sure we'll be able to help you find them if you'd like."

The man laughed and shook his head. "That's not what I want. I found them. They're dead. Couldn't get their new life started right, so they ended up starving to death. Something that could have been prevented if you hadn't cast that curse!" By the end of his little speech, the man was shouting.

Regina felt herself start to panic. This man was clearly unstable, and could shoot anyone at any second. She gasped as Snow stood up. The man turned the gun to face her, and Regina saw Snow's skin pale.

"But if the curse hadn't happened, a lot of us wouldn't be friends right now," Snow said. "Most of us have forgiven Regina for the curse. We've moved on. Maybe you could too."

"Move on?" the man scoffed. "This pain is my power. It helps fuel the fire."

"That's what I thought too," Regina said. The man pointed the gun back at her, and Regina saw Emma's hands start shaking. "That's why I created the curse. I was in so much emotional pain, and I took it out on a lot of people. But you don't need to let the pain win."

"Don't talk like you know me," the man growled. "You don't know anything about pain and loss. All you know is how to use your magic to hurt a whole town. And now, I'm going to show you loss like you've never known."

Before Regina could even get another word in, the man fired one shot. Only he hadn't been aiming at Regina.

He'd been aiming at Emma.

* * *

The doctors tried to reassure Regina that Emma would be fine, but Regina needed to see her.

After the man had fired at Emma, chaos had erupted. The town did not take kindly to their Savior being shot.

David had fired about 5 shots at the man, but the first one had killed him. Regina had run down from the stage to Emma's side, before poofing them to the hospital. It had been 2 hours since then.

Snow and David had calmed down the town and sent everyone home before joining Regina in the waiting room at the hospital. They sat on a couch, carefully watching Regina. When she was hurt, she was very unpredictable.

"They're all going to blame me," Regina whispered.

"Who's going to blame you?" Snow asked.

"The town," Regina said. "She was shot because I love her, and that man wanted me to experience loss. It's my fault that she was shot to begin with."

"Stop that," David said. He got up before sitting next to Regina. He hesitantly grabbed one of Regina's hands, and squeezed it when she didn't pull away.

"He was a crazy man," he said. "You weren't the one that fired the gun."

"Besides," Snow said. "If anyone tries to blame you, we'll beat him or her up." Regina smiled.

* * *

2 weeks later, Emma was home. She had fully recovered, and was doing physical therapy once a week to strengthen up the arm that she had been shot in. Luckily, when she saw the gun pointed at her, she had turned her body so the bullet meant for her heart had hit her arm instead.

Her only problem was Regina. It had spooked Regina big time that she had come so close to losing Emma. Plus she still blamed herself. So, Regina had taken to working from home, and hovering over Emma as if she could be shot again at any moment. And it was driving Emma nuts.

Emma hadn't meant to snap. But seriously, she could go to the bathroom without Regina waiting right outside the door in case she needed help.

She waited until Regina went into the kitchen to prepare lunch before pushing herself off of the couch and tiptoeing to the bathroom. Regina had no idea until she heard the toilet flush.

"What are you doing?" Regina demanded.

Emma finally snapped. "Regina, I should be able to pee when I want without you having to be outside the door!" she said.

"I guess I have been a little overprotective lately," Regina mumbled. Emma chuckled and grabbed Regina's hand, leading them both to the living room. She sat down on the couch, pulling Regina down next to her.

"I love you," Emma said. "But I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. Okay?" Regina nodded.

"This was not your fault," Emma started. Regina tensed. "You were not the one that fired that gun, and you were not the one that put the bullet in my arm. Therefore, this is not your fault. So stop blaming yourself."

"I am not going anywhere," Emma continued. "No one is going to break in while you're at work and kill me. He's gone. You need to go back to work."

"And finally," Emma finished. "You need to let me pee by myself." Regina laughed as tears started falling. Emma smiled and wiped them away before wrapping Regina in a hug.

"I love you," Regina said.

"I love you too," Emma replied.


	34. Day 34: Max

Emma rolled over and looked at the date. Her eyes widened before she looked over her shoulder to make sure that Regina was still asleep. Getting up quietly, Emma quickly got dressed before writing a note and leaving the house.

Today was June 3rd. The day that Emma dreaded all year long. She got into her bug and drove towards the town line. She pulled over onto the side of the road before getting out and started to walk through the forest.

Emma hoped that Regina would understand why she had to go. The note had been pretty clear. This was a tough day for her, and she wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, Regina was a stubborn woman, and would probably search for her as she had every year.

Emma kept walking through the forest. She figured that if she walked long enough, she would eventually find a hiding place that Regina would probably never look. Taking a deep breath, Emma tried not to think about Max. Things would only get worse.

* * *

Regina rolled over and immediately woke up as she felt Emma's empty side of the bed. She looked at the date on the clock before cursing and getting up. Emma had left her a note, but she didn't need to read it. It said the same thing every year.

"Henry!" Regina called. Henry opened the door of his room and sleepily looked out. "Get dressed please. You're going to spend the day with Snow and David."

"Not that I mind, but why?" Henry asked. Regina pointed at the date on the clock before hurriedly getting dressed.

"She's gone?" Henry whined. He didn't understand why Emma always disappeared on this day. It was concerning.

"Just like every other year," Regina said through gritted teeth. She was frustrated with herself that she hadn't remembered that today was the "disappearing day".

"It'll be fine," Henry said. "You always manage to find her." Regina smiled at him before pushing him out of the door to go get dressed.

* * *

After dropping Henry off with Snow and David, Regina had some serious searching to do. Emma had warned Regina before that if Regina used a locator spell to find her, she would knock her out with magic on sight. Regina wouldn't put it past her.

The first place that Regina thought to look was the town line. Emma would never hide in town, since there would be too many people. The town line was where she could sit and think about her life, while having an option to run.

As she pulled up to the town line, Regina smiled as she saw Emma's bug parked on the side of the road. "Gotcha," she whispered.

She parked her car before getting out and heading into the forest. There were a million places that Emma could be hiding, but if Regina knew her like she thought she did, Emma would be sitting in a tree somewhere.

"Emma?" Regina called. "Where are you?" She was met with silence. Either Emma was deeper in the forest, or she wasn't interested in responding to Regina.

"Emma please answer me," Regina pleaded. "I just want to talk." She walked while looking up into the trees. Why were there so many trees in a forest?

Finally, Regina saw her. She was sitting on a branch, staring blankly into space. Regina started climbing the tree, and was soon sitting next to her on the branch. For a queen, Regina did have good climbing skills.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"I'm here to help," Regina replied. "You've told me the story about Max. It's not your fault."

"How would you know?" Emma hissed. "I was supposed to be watching him! I was supposed to be the responsible one. My foster parents trusted me to watch Max and the other little kids while they played outside. Instead, I was more interested in reading my book. He ran out into the street and was killed. On my watch. It IS my fault."

Regina shook her head and grabbed Emma's hand. "Yes, you were supposed to be watching him. Yes, he ran out into the street and was killed. But you weren't the one driving the car. And your foster parents shouldn't have let him play outside with only you watching if he was so little. You need to move on. You can't keep doing this every year."

"It's my tribute to him," Emma said. "By sitting alone, it gives me a chance to think about what I did."

"And do this?" Regina asked, tracing her finger over the scars on the underside of Emma's arm. Emma tensed and went to pull away, but Regina tightened her grip.

"You can't keep running away every June 3rd," Regina said. "You have a family that loves you, and I'm sure that Max would want you to move on."

"It has been 20 years," Emma mumbled. "I guess I should let him go."

Regina squeezed her hand again. "Home?" she asked.

Emma smiled. She loved hearing that word. She nodded.

"Home."


	35. Day 35: Dinosaurs

Emma and Regina had come to the executive decision that Henry needed more opportunities to be a regular boy. He lived in a town full of fairytale characters, and always had to be on the lookout for any kind of danger.

Henry had let slip that he still loved playing with dinosaurs, so Emma and Regina planned on taking him to the museum in Boston that had just gotten a new dinosaur exhibit.

"Henry!" Regina called. "Come downstairs please!" Henry came downstairs, stopping short when he saw Emma and Regina getting ready to leave the house.

"Where are you going?" Henry asked.

"We're all going on a little road trip," Regina said. "Come put your shoes on please."

"Where are we going?" Henry asked.

"It's a surprise," Emma said. "Just put your shoes on." Henry looked at them skeptically.

"You guys don't like leaving the town," he pointed out. "Your magic goes away."

Regina and Emma shared a glance. Their son was too smart for his own good. "You're worth it," Regina said, giving him a smile. He couldn't help but smile back. Whenever Regina smiled, he had to smile.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Henry asked for the 50th time. Emma was keeping count.

"Henry," Regina said. "I have taught you better than this. We will get there when we get there." Henry groaned and fell back against his seat. Emma chuckled. Henry's patience level was something that was totally her bad.

"Trust me kid," Emma said. "When we get to this spot, I can guarantee that you'll forget about how long that this car ride was."

After about another 20 "are we there yet", Emma finally was able to say yes. She pulled into a parking spot as Henry groaned. "A museum?" he asked. "That's so boring."

"Not this museum," Regina said. "This one has something special."

"Special?" Henry asked, perking up.

"Special," Emma confirmed. "Trust me." Henry nodded and followed his moms into the museum.

* * *

"Dinosaurs?" Henry exclaimed. He ran up the stairs as Regina and Emma laughed at his enthusiasm. "This museum has dinosaurs!"

"I think he might be just a little excited," Emma whispered to Regina. Regina laughed and walked with Emma after Henry.

Henry ran from dinosaur to dinosaur, looking in amazement as they moved and roared as he passed. In that moment, he truly felt like nothing other than a boy with a love for dinosaurs. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed.

Emma smiled at him before swiping subtly under her eyes. "What's wrong?" Regina asked. Apparently not subtle enough.

"I can't believe that I gave him up," Emma said. "I never would have known about his love for dinosaurs if he hadn't admitted it when we went to throw away his stuffed dinosaur collection."

Regina squeezed her hand. "You're here now," she said. "And that's all that matters."

Emma squeezed her hand back. "Thank you," she said. "For raising him so well. I couldn't have asked for him to get a better mother than you."

Regina smiled and pulled Emma in for a hug. "Thank you for giving him to me," she replied.

"Can't you guys go one day without being all sappy?" Henry groaned. Emma and Regina laughed and pulled apart.

"Sorry kid," Emma said, ruffling his hair. "Let's go look at some dinosaurs."


	36. Day 36: Cliché Kisses

**Prepare yourselves for some extreme fluff**

When Emma and Regina had started dating, Emma slowly began to realize how much of a romantic that Regina was. And that included very cliché kisses.

It started with the simple kissing in the rain. It was lightly sprinkling outside when Regina came running downstairs and pulled Emma off of the couch.

"Where are we going?" Emma asked.

"Outside," Regina relied, pulling Emma towards the door.

"But it's raining!" Emma protested. Regina just smiled and walked outside, pulling a reluctant Emma after her.

"Haven't you ever heard of the cliché kiss in the rain?" Regina teased. Emma just laughed before kissing her.

"Can we go inside now?" she asked. "We're going to get hypothermia out here." Regina just rolled her eyes. Emma could be such a drama queen.

* * *

The next time it happened was a couple weeks later. Emma was having a bad day at work, so Regina poofed to the sheriff's office in hopes of cheering her up. After several minutes, she realized that something more drastic was needed.

Grabbing Emma's hand, Regina concentrated and poofed them to her favorite beach in Ft. Meyers, Florida. Emma looked around in confusion before realizing where they were.

"Why are we on a beach?" Emma asked. She looked around and saw no one around. "A deserted beach."

"Haven't you ever heard of the cliché kiss on a secluded beach?" Regina asked. "It's supposed to be rather romantic."

Emma laughed, knowing exactly what Regina was doing. She pulled Regina in for a kiss as the sun set beautifully in the background.

"We should probably go home," Emma whispered. "We do have a very curious son." Regina laughed before poofing them home.

* * *

It happened again while they were searching for Henry in Neverland. Regina could see that Emma was close to breaking down, and knew that she had to remove her to take a break.

Regina snuck up behind Emma before hesitantly grabbing her hand and poofing them to Venice, Italy. They landed on a gondola, exactly where Regina wanted them to be.

"What the hell Regina?" Emma said. "What are we doing here? We should be looking for Henry!"

"You can't look for Henry if you're fighting a break down," Regina said. She watched as Emma's anger melted away. She wrapped her arms around Emma before kissing the top of her head.

"Do you know where we are?" Regina asked.

"Someplace that has a cliché kiss reference?" Emma asked.

Regina chuckled. "It's called The Bridge of Sighs. According to Italian superstition, if you kiss your sweetheart under this bridge, you're guaranteed eternal love."

Emma smiled before passionately kissing Regina. "I love you, but can we go back and look for Henry now?"

Regina kissed Emma again before poofing them back to Neverland. They had a son to find.

* * *

Since Emma's magic was getting better, she decided that the next cliché kiss was going to be her turn. Regina was going to be home from work at any moment, so Emma waited eagerly by the door.

Finally, Regina walked inside. It was clear that she'd had a bad day, but Emma was determined to change that.

Reaching out from behind the door, Emma wrapped her fingers around Regina's wrist before poofing them to Paris, France. At the base of the Eiffel Tower of course.

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Why are we in Paris?"

Emma smiled before wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, pulling her close. "Haven't you heard of the cliché kiss in front of the Eiffel Tower?" she teased.

Regina laughed. "I knew that I would turn you into a romantic," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said. "Now shut up and kiss me."

 **Guys if you have prompts, I would really love to do them! By the way, super huge thanks to bstix. I love that you review for every single chapter. As for the fact that I update every day, it is a lot harder to find time than you would think. My mom thinks that I'm nuts.**


	37. Day 37: Just Like Her

**So I wrote an entire chapter, and then thought of this idea. Lol. So I scrapped the other chapter and wrote this one instead! This is set while Regina is pregnant with Lola.**

Regina considered herself a strong woman. She had been betrayed, heartbroken, and called evil by her own son. But pregnancy? It might be the death of her.

Not in the physical sense. No, in the physical department she felt great. Pregnancy was going smoothly so far, and she was actually enjoying it. Her problem was the thoughts running through her head.

At her last doctor's appointment, Regina and Emma found out that they were having a little girl. Emma and Henry were beyond excited, but the news had scared Regina to death. Naturally, Emma noticed.

"You okay?" Emma asked, sitting next to Regina on the couch.

Regina sighed and rubbed her swollen abdomen. She was excited for their daughter's arrival, she really was. But at the same time, she was terrified.

"Regina?" Emma asked, squeezing her hand. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?"

Regina chuckled. "Just doing some thinking," she said.

"That's never good," Emma teased. Regina just smiled. "Uh oh. You usually make some kind of remark back at me for that one. What's wrong?"

Regina bit her lip. "I don't want to end up like her," she whispered.

"Like who?" Emma asked, confused.

"My mother," Regina said. "I really don't want to end up like her."

"You won't," Emma said confidently. "You've already been a mother once, and he turned out just fine."

"That's just it," Regina argued. "Henry was a boy. There was no risk that I would ever turn into my mother with a son. A daughter is different."

Emma shook her head. "I've seen the scars that you have," she said. Regina winced. "Would you ever do that?"

"Of course not!" Regina exclaimed. Her eyes widened as Emma smiled.

"See?" Emma said. "You actually sounded offended that I even suggested that idea. You are nothing like your mother, and you never will be."

"But-" Regina started, but was cut off as Emma kissed her.

"No buts," she said. "Besides, I'll be with you. If you start going psycho, I'll hide the children." Regina couldn't help it; she started laughing.

"You are a dork," she laughed.

Emma smiled. "But I'm your dork." Regina couldn't argue with that.

 **This one was really short, but sweet. Hope you all liked it! Spread the word about the story if you think that someone would like reading it! I also am still open to guest writers if anyone is interested.**


	38. Day 38: Hiking Trip

**Prompt for this chapter: "Regina plans a day out hiking with Emma. It's a simple prompt I know, but the image of Regina in hiking boots, in the cold and rain when she could just poof herself to the top is hilarious to me." Thank you bstix for the fun prompt!**

Ever since the discovery of how much that Emma loved stargazing, Regina would join her outside every single night to look at the stars. Some nights it was nice out, and others required a sweatshirt and a blanket. Either way, both women enjoyed their moment together.

Regina decided that she wanted to take Emma to the best spot in Storybrooke to see the stars. She had discovered the spot by accident when she was looking at the map of the town for a place to poof to for relaxation.

Granted, it was at the top of a pretty decently sized mountain, but Emma was worth it. Emma loved being outside and enjoying nature about as much as she loved stargazing.

When Emma came home from work that day, Regina was waiting for her in the foyer, hiking boots and all. "What are you wearing?" Emma asked. "That isn't your usual kind of outfit."

"I'm expanding my horizons," Regina teased. Emma rolled her eyes before wrapping her arms around Regina's waist.

"Why are you really wearing this?" she asked. "You're wearing a t-shirt and hiking boots. You never wear t-shirts. Or hiking boots."

"I know a place that has a really good view of the stars," Regina said. "It requires a little bit of a hike."

"You would go hiking?" Emma asked. "Just to look at some stars?"

"With you," Regina said, kissing her cheek. "Now go change."

* * *

Regina probably should have looked at the weather before they left the house. Within an hour of their hiking trip, it was down pouring. Both women were incredibly soaked, but Regina had insisted that they keep going. They were wet already, might as well make it to the top.

By the time they made it to the top of the mountain, the rain had stopped. No clouds were left in the sky, giving the perfect view of the stars.

"This is beautiful," Emma whispered. Regina smiled at Emma's happiness. When Emma was happy, she was happy.

Regina took off her backpack and dug through it until she found their "stargazing blanket". She unfolded it before spreading it out onto the grass. She sat on it and patted the empty space next to her. Emma smiled before taking a seat.

"I've always wondered," Emma said. "Where did this blanket come from?"

Regina smiled. "It was Henry's blanket," she said. "The old one, that is. His tastes have changed from trucks to Legend of Zelda."

Emma laughed. "Well, I like it," she said, tracing the truck pattern. "And I do have another question for you."

Regina looked at her and waited. "Why did we walk all the way up here, when you could have just poofed us?" Emma asked.

"You like nature," Regina said. "It made sense to walk up and enjoy the scenery. Probably should have checked the weather first though."

Emma smiled before pulling Regina in for a kiss. "Thank you," she said. "For willingly taking a hike just to let me stargaze."

"Anything for you, dear," Regina said. "Anything for you."


	39. Day 39: Parrot named Snow

Emma loved her mother. She really did. But eventually she got too much for even Emma to handle. They had gone into the mines to take a look at some sort of possible fairy dust problem. According to the fairies, there was just too much of it.

Regina had other things that she needed to get done, so Emma took Snow and David with her to do some investigation. David was being helpful, but Snow was driving Emma nuts.

"Why can't you just use your magic to clean things up?" Snow asked. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You already asked that," she said. "It's not that easy. Both magic and fairy dust is very unpredictable. Combine those two, and it never ends well."

Snow nodded like she understood. "So what do we need to do?"

David smiled sheepishly at Emma. He could tell that she was getting annoyed. "Snow," Emma said. "I need you to stop talking before I fireball you."

"You know how to create a fireball?" Snow asked.

Emma rolled her eyes again. Her eyes were getting lots of exercise. "I live with Regina. I've managed to pick up a few things."

"I knew she was going to be a bad influence on you," Snow mumbled. That was it. Emma snapped.

"You are so like a parrot," Emma hissed. "Just repeating back things that you know over and over again. She's changed!"

"I am nothing like a parrot!" Snow exclaimed.

"Yes you are!" Emma argued. "Parrots just repeat the same thing over and over again, and that's exactly what you're doing. I wish you were an actual parrot just so you could compare notes!"

Emma realized too late what she had just said. She had wished for something. And they were standing in a mine full of fairy dust.

"Crap."

* * *

"Regina!" Emma called, running into the mansion. She had screwed up. Big time. Because of her, Snow was now an actual parrot.

"Right here," Regina said, walking into the room. She immediately grew concerned at the look on Emma's face. Then she saw David. Holding a bird.

"What the-" Regina said.

"IaccidentallyturnedSnowintoabirdandIneedyourhelp," Emma blurted.

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Was that even English?" she asked. Emma whimpered.

"Okay, just take a deep breath," Regina said soothingly. "Try again. Slower. What happened?"

"Snow made some comment about you and it was just the icing on the cake, so I got upset and called her a parrot. She disagreed with me, and then I wished that she would turn into a parrot so she would have something to compare to. We were kinda standing in the mine full of fairy dust," Emma said. She took a big breath after she finished.

Regina's jaw dropped. "You turned your mother into a bird?" she asked. Emma groaned and sank into a chair.

"Yes," she mumbled. "I was just upset. I didn't actually mean for it to happen!"

"Fairy dust, dear," Regina said. She kneeled down in front of Emma and pulled Emma's hands away from her face. "This can be fixed, I promise."

"How?" Emma asked. "I thought every wish was permanent."

Regina shook her head. "You just have to be more clever than the fairy dust," she said. "We'll just go back to the mines and wish for her to be back to her normal self."

* * *

"It's not working," Emma whimpered. Regina squeezed her hand.

"You have to actually mean it," she said. "The wish won't work if you don't really want her to turn back into her normal self."

"She's so quiet," Emma said. Regina chuckled. She wasn't wrong.

"You need to turn her back," Regina said, nudging Emma's arm. "I think David would like his wife back."

Emma sighed before looking at her mother. "Fine," she grumbled. She thought of some of the best memories that she had with Snow before wishing for her to be turned back into her normal self.

"Thank goodness!" Snow exclaimed, back into her human form. "I love birds and all, but I'd never want to be one again."

Emma groaned. "Here she goes again with the talking," she moaned. Snow launched into talking about how interesting her time as a bird had been. Regina just laughed and kissed Emma on the cheek.

"She may be a parrot," Regina said. "But she is your mother."

Emma laughed. "Snow White: Parrot Edition." Regina snorted.

"I can hear you!" Snow said. Emma and Regina just laughed.


	40. Day 40: Magic Hands

**Hi everyone! I'm back! Prepare for your notifications to blow up because I have a lot of chapters to write. This one is for OnceUponAStudent with the prompt "** **Can you write one with regina giving emma a massage? and emma being all gooey and almost falling asleep on regina." Here we go!**

Emma had had another long day at work. David had taken another day off to take care of Neal so Snow could go back to teaching, so Emma had been completely alone at the station.

The day had started off with another Pongo chase. Why Archie could never seem to keep his dog on a leash, Emma had no idea. After locating Pongo, Emma went back to the station only to find a lot of voicemails waiting for her.

First came the breaking up of lots of bar fights. The dwarves had a bad habit of drinking in the middle of the day, and then starting lots of fights.

After that, Emma had to head into the woods to investigate some smoke that Ruby was sure had to be a large forest fire. She couldn't bear to see the forest burned. Turns out, it was just Robin and his men cooking dinner.

After several more tedious tasks, Emma finally was able to clock out. David showed up for his night shift with Snow and baby Neal at his side.

"Hey there," David said. "How was the day?"

"Fantastic," Emma said sarcastically. She grabbed her keys before stomping out of the office and to her bug.

* * *

Regina could usually tell when Emma had a bad day at work. The easiest clue was that the bug would whip into the driveway and brake quickly before it would hit the garage door.

Regina winced at how close that the bug got to the garage door this time. It must have been a really bad day. The bug had almost gone through the door.

Emma got out of the bug and slammed the door. Henry came down the stairs to greet her, but turned around and ran back to his bedroom after seeing the look on Regina shot his way.

As Emma approached the front door, Regina opened it and smiled at her. Emma slightly smiled back, not yet ready to smile after her long day. Regina gently grabbed her arm before she got too far and guided her to the living room.

"Want to talk about it?" Regina asked, guiding Emma to a chair.

Emma sighed. "David took the day off again to take care of Neal, leaving me to take care of all of the Sheriff duties for the day. The day that this town grows up will be a wonderful day indeed."

"Why do you think I cursed them to begin with?" Regina teased. Emma slightly chuckled. Regina counted that as a small victory.

Reaching forward, Regina tugged off Emma's jacket before beginning to rub her shoulders. Emma sighed before relaxing into Regina's touch. After a long day at work, a Regina Massage was exactly what Emma wanted.

After several minutes, Regina smiled as she saw Emma beginning to fall asleep. Emma's head bobbed as she woke herself up and Regina laughed. "We can go to bed," Regina suggested.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," Emma said. She made no movement to get up, so Regina just smiled before scooping her up bridal style and carrying her to the bedroom.

"Magic hands," Emma mumbled.

"Yes dear, I do have magic," Regina chuckled.

"No," Emma said. "You have magic hands. Your massages are the best." Regina just laughed before pulling the covers over Emma.

Regina chuckled as she looked down at Emma's sleeping form. "Magic hands indeed," she whispered.


	41. Day 41: Cats & Dogs

**So I did throw it out there for prompts to be one word. So, this chapter is dedicated to Guest with the prompt "Cats & Dogs".**

Henry was one of those teenagers that were on Buzzfeed all the time, taking a bunch of ridiculous quizzes. Finally, he managed to get Regina and Emma to take one.

"Just take this one," Henry said. He handed his phone to Emma and watched her smile.

"Let's find out what kind of dog I am," she said. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes," Henry said. "You're next!"

* * *

"I got a Great Dane!" Emma exclaimed. "I'm humble, extremely smart, but still approachable because of my warm demeanor." She smiled at Regina, who simply rolled her eyes.

"Mom, what'd you get?" Henry asked.

"I'm a mutt, apparently," Regina said. "I'm renegade, an artist, and have a ton of 'real-life' experiences."

"I think you both got accurate ones," Henry said. "Now you have to take this one." Emma laughed as Regina groaned. If Regina didn't love Henry so much, there would be no way that she would even think of doing the quizzes.

"What is this one on?" Regina asked.

Henry smiled. "Cats."

* * *

"Awww I'm a munchkin!" Emma exclaimed. "I'm adorable, sweet, spunky, and brave when I need to be."

Henry nodded in approval. "That's actually really good. Mom?"

Regina groaned. "I'm a hairless cat. Why do these quizzes hate me?"

Emma laughed before kissing Regina on the cheek. "What's your description?" she asked.

"I like the simple things in life, I'm misunderstood, and sweet underneath what everyone thinks right off of the bat," Regina said.

"That's accurate!" Henry said. "Not as cute as ma, but accurate. I have one more quiz for you both."

Emma and Regina glanced at each other. "Last one," they said at the same time.

* * *

"Well?" Henry asked.

"I'm a dog person," Emma said, smiling. Henry pumped his fist in the air.

"Mom?" he asked.

"I'm a cat person," Regina said. She sat down on the couch with a huff. Emma made eye contact with Henry and motioned towards the door. He nodded before leaving the room.

"You know, cats are actually nicer than dogs," Emma said. "They aren't as much work."

"It's not that," Regina said. "It's that you always have the right answer. He's a dog person; you're a dog person. You get the cute dog; I get the mutt. You get the cute cat; I get the ugly one. Even with quizzes, I never do anything right for him."

"Now hold on a minute," Emma argued. "Regina, he has half of my DNA in him. And Neal was a lot like me personality-wise. Just because his personality and mine match pretty closely doesn't mean that you can't do anything right for him."

Regina bit her lip. "You think so?"

"I know so," Henry said from the doorway. Regina turned to look at him in surprise. "It doesn't matter to me if you're a cat of a dog person, or what breed that you get. I'm just happy that you agreed to take the quiz in the first place."

"Of course," Regina said. "I would do anything for you, my little prince."

 **So I actually took personality quizzes on both and pretended to be them based off of what I know about their personalities. I think that they're pretty accurate. On to the next chapter!**


	42. Day 42: Embarrassing Moment

**I'm going on a writing binge. Yikes. Prompt for this chapter is from .Br "** **snow catching then in awkward situation Emma complain about it and then they catch snow and David"**

Emma Swan did not regret many things in her life. But giving Snow a key to the mansion? That was probably a mistake.

It was to be used for emergencies only, and Emma was pretty sure that needing cookies for her class wasn't an emergency. At least not in Emma's book.

Snow needed the cookies because she had planned a trivia game that day, but hadn't had time to bake any while taking care of Neal so David could work his shift. She had knocked on the door of the mansion, but no one had answered.

"Hello?" Snow called, opening the door. "Anybody home?" No one responded, so Snow headed upstairs towards Regina and Emma's bedroom. Maybe they were taking a nap.

"Emma?" Snow called. "Regina?" Still, no response. Arriving at the door to Emma and Regina's room, Snow slowly opened it.

Emma and Regina were sitting on the bed, blanket over them both like a fort, watching Sesame Street. "What are you doing?" Snow asked, laughing.

Regina and Emma jumped and turned to the door, where Snow was trying to hide her laughter. "You watch Sesame Street when Neal's not here?" she asked.

"He's too little to understand anyway," Emma mumbled. "Someone might as well enjoy it."

Snow laughed before glancing at Regina. "I can't believe that you got the Evil Queen to watch a show meant for kids under the age of 6."

"Shut up," Regina growled. Snow laughed again before leaving the room. She decided that getting cookies wasn't worth the argument. The kids would just have to be okay with candy from the gas station.

* * *

"That was mortifying," Emma groaned. "My mother just caught us watching a toddler's show without a toddler present."

Regina laughed. "It could have been worse. There are worse things that she could have caught us doing." She winked at Emma.

Emma laughed. "Good point," she said. "But still. She abused her key power. Maybe I should ask for it back."

Regina shook her head. "No, that won't teach her anything."

"Since when are we trying to teach her a lesson?" Emma asked. "Not that I mind or anything."

"She walked into our house for no reason at all. She never told us what she actually wanted. So my guess is that she came for something that wasn't even an emergency," Regina said.

Emma smiled. Sometimes being wicked was much for fun than being good.

* * *

Emma still had a key to Snow and David's apartment from when she had lived there, so Emma used that to unlock the door. She knew that they were both home because Emma was supposed to be at the station, and school was out for the day.

The TV was playing as Emma opened the door and snuck inside with Regina behind her. "Mom?" Emma called. "Dad?"

No one answered, so the women walked farther into the apartment, closing the door behind them. They walked towards the TV, and stopped at what they saw. Neal was taking a nap on a blanket on the floor while Snow and David both watched Sesame Street.

"Aha!" Emma said. Snow and David both jumped and turned to see Emma and Regina standing behind them, laughing.

"What are you doing here?" Snow asked. Emma just held up her key.

"Look like we're not the only ones who watch Neal's shows when he's not watching," Regina teased. Snow and David blushed.

"I'll trade you keys," Snow said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Regina and Emma's house key. Snow and Emma exchanged keys.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's hand before poofing them home.

"Lesson taught?" Regina asked.

"Lesson taught," Emma agreed.


	43. Day 43: Jealous Regina

**Prompt for this chapter provided by wicked73 "Jealous Regina"**

Regina understood that Emma was the town's Savior. But she wanted time with her girlfriend too. Emma was more than the Savior, just like how Regina was more than the Evil Queen.

Every time that Regina had gone to try to get Emma's attention, Emma had always been taken away from her to do something else. It was starting to get on Regina's nerves.

Regina walked into the Sheriff's office with a mission in mind. Get Emma to come home. "Emma?" Regina called. She walked over to Emma's desk only to sigh in disappointment. Emma wasn't there.

"Regina?" David asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Emma," Regina said. "Have you seen her?" David shook his head no as Regina sighed in defeat. Where was Emma?

After searching for several hours, Regina was even more frustrated. Why did the town get all of Emma's attention? It wasn't fair.

Regina walked to the docks and sat down on a bench. The day was peaceful, and yet Regina couldn't enjoy it. Emma was supposed to be there with her.

"Regina?" Emma called. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you," Regina said, glaring. "But clearly other things are more important than spending time with your girlfriend."

"Hey now," Emma said. "Where'd you get that crazy idea?"

"You haven't been around all week," Regina said, looking down at her feet.

"Look at me," Emma said. She waited until Regina looked at her before continuing. "I haven't been around because this town has needed a lot of help getting stuff settled after the Snow Queen's curse. That's all over now."

"Really?" Regina asked. "You're all done with all that stuff?"

"Yep," Emma said. "But I need you to understand something before we go home. Okay?"

"Okay…"Regina said.

"I am this town's Savior," Emma said. "That means that sometimes I'll have to be crazy busy helping the town with stuff. I don't like it, but I have to. But that doesn't mean that I love you any less. You are my love. And that will never change."

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina, who relaxed into her embrace. "I'm sorry," Regina mumbled.

Emma just laughed. "It's all good," she said. "Besides, you're cute when you're jealous."


	44. Day 44: The Right Family

_Emma Swan lay on the front lawn of her foster home. She had been in this one longer than any other, and was enjoying being in one place for longer than a month. Emma was looking up at the clouds, thinking of her perfect family._

 _Her father would be a handsome man, with big muscles, but a teddy bear personality. He would work at a law firm so that when he adopted Emma, everything would be settled. His job was very important, and brought in so much money that Emma was always spoiled._

 _Her mother was a beautiful blonde like herself, and loved spending time with her adoptive daughter. She was a painter, and regularly sold her paintings for money, as well as donated some of them to children's hospitals._

 _Her sister was older than she was, but was in college when she would be adopted. They would get very close during the summer, and would remain close throughout the rest of their lives. Always there for each other, no matter what._

 _It was this daydreaming that Emma hung on to for many years to come as she was passed from foster home to foster home. Someday, she would find the right family. And they would love her, no matter what._

* * *

Emma sat up with a gasp. She wiped the tears off of her cheeks and started taking deep breaths. She hadn't dreamt of that day in several years, and yet it still hit her hard.

Back when she had been daydreaming of those types of things, Emma was still hoping to get adopted. Once she had turned 15, she had given up all hope.

"Emma?" Regina groggily asked. "What are you doing up?"

"Nothing," Emma quickly said. "Just can't sleep is all. Go back to sleep."

Regina sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. "Nightmare?" she asked. Emma nodded. "What one?"

"One that I haven't had for a long time," Emma said. "Don't worry about it."

Regina reached out and wiped a stray tear off of Emma's cheek before pointedly looking at her. Emma sighed. "It was just a memory from one of my foster homes."

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"Just a lot of families walking around where I used to live," Emma said. "And I didn't have that. I was in a home at one point that let me feel like I belonged, and I would dream about my dream family. The dream family that never happened."

"It didn't?" Regina asked. She was on her guard now. Didn't Emma have a family now?

"That's not what I meant," Emma said quickly. "I do have a family with you and Henry. It's just...forget it. You'll think I'm stupid."

Regina kissed her cheek. "I want to know," she said. "Please continue."

Emma smiled. "When I was little, I used to sit and look up at the clouds. I would daydream about this perfect family that I would be a part of someday. Not in our sense where I'm married or anything. I didn't think that far. I thought about the mother and father that I would have. And an older sister."

"Did that make you happy?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "No," she said. "Because it never happened. No one ever adopted me. And I never got to be a part of the right family."

Regina frowned and wrapped her arms around Emma. "Well," she said. "You have a family now. And no matter what happens, you'll always have Henry and I by your side."

Emma smiled and snuggled into Regina's embrace. "Maybe I did find the right family after all," she said.

 **Almost caught up! One more. I hope you guys don't mind, but I didn't want all of the new updates to just be prompts, so this one and the next one will be my ideas. I'll pick up tomorrow with another one of the prompts.**


	45. Day 45: Thunderstorms

Regina hated thunderstorms. With a passion. Mainly because whenever it stormed, she was reminded of Cora and how she would make Regina stand out in the rain, hoping that Regina would get sick. Enough times getting sick was supposed to strengthen your immune system, at least according to Cora.

It would have been fine if Regina had been given the freedom to walk around and play in puddles. But no, she was magically rooted to the spot. Hence, the bad memories connected with thunderstorms.

Regina usually could figure out when thunderstorms were on the way, and could safely lock herself up in her bedroom for the evening. After she had adopted Henry, they would cuddle together until the storm would pass or Henry fell asleep.

But when he got older, Henry grew out of his fear of thunderstorms, and left Regina alone. So Regina would lock herself in her room and hope that the storm would pass quickly without a panic attack behind it.

It had been easy to hide her fear from Henry since he wasn't really that concerned for her wellbeing. But Emma was a totally different story. She knew that something bothered Regina about thunderstorms, but had never been with her during one.

The day had started out nice enough, but soon Regina got the feeling that a thunderstorm would be rolling in at some point that day. Checking the radar, she was right. A storm was brewing, and it would hit Storybrooke in about an hour.

Regina began to work quickly, hoping to be done in time to go home and get to her room before the storm hit. Otherwise, a panic attack in public might not do so well for her reputation.

"I'm going to head out early," Regina told her secretary. "If anyone calls for me, tell them that I will get back to them tomorrow." Her secretary nodded, so Regina left the office.

* * *

Emma was getting off of work early as well, and was planning on surprising Regina at work before forcing her to also get off early. She hadn't cuddled with her girlfriend in a long time with all the craziness that the town seemed to attract.

Emma frowned as she saw the light in Regina's office off. "She headed home early," the secretary explained. Emma's frown deepened. She hoped everything was okay.

She thanked the secretary before heading back out to her car. Would poofing be necessary? Regina hardly ever left work early. So was that a reason to be concerned and poof to the house?

After several minutes of debating, Emma decided to poof herself home. If Regina had left work early, it had to have been for something important.

* * *

"Regina?" Emma called from the foyer. No answer. Henry wouldn't be home yet because school was still going on, so Emma decided to do some exploring.

Emma walked up the stairs to Regina's bedroom. The door was shut so Emma tried the handle. Locked. That was even more of a red flag. "Gina?" Emma called, knocking on the door. "Are you in there?"

No response again. "I'm coming in," Emma warned. She didn't hear anything again, so Emma poofed herself into the room. Regina sat on the bed, curled into the fetal position.

"Regina?" Emma asked, walking over to the bed. Regina didn't look up. As Emma got closer, she noticed that Regina was shaking. Sure signs of a panic attack.

"Regina, look at me," Emma commanded. She reached out and lightly squeezed Regina's arm. Regina gasped before shrinking away from Emma's touch.

"Please let me back in," Regina pleaded. "I think I got sick. Please just let me back in."

Emma looked at Regina in confusion. "Let you in from where?"

"Outside," Regina whimpered. "Please mother. Let me back in."

Regina's pleading hit Emma like a ton of bricks. This was Cora's doing. Again. Cora was the main source of a lot of Regina's pain, and Emma was trying as hard as she could to reverse everything that Cora had done.

"Regina, look at me. It's me, Emma. You're not in the Enchanted Forest anymore, and you're not with Cora. No one is going to make you stay outside in the rain. You're already inside, see?" Emma said.

Regina blinked a few times before focusing on Emma. "Emma?" she asked.

Emma smiled. "Hey there," she said. At that moment, lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Regina winced and whimpered before curling tighter into a ball.

"Hey, look at me," Emma said. Regina looked at her with wide eyes. "It's just a thunderstorm. Cora isn't here, and no one is going to make you go outside. I'm right here."

Thunder boomed again and Emma held her arms open for Regina to cuddle into. For the rest of the storm, Emma rubbed Regina's back soothingly and comforted her. As the storm slowly died away, Regina pulled away from Emma's embrace.

"I have a question for you," Emma said. Regina leaned back against the pillows on the bed and waited.

"Why did Cora make you stand outside during thunderstorms?" Emma asked.

Regina winced. "She wanted me to get sick so that I would build up my immune system. That way, when I was queen, I would never have to take sick days."

"That's awful!" Emma exclaimed. How could a mother do that to their own child?

Regina just nodded. "The worst part was that she would magically root me to the spot. I couldn't go anywhere. She would leave me out there until morning, so that even after the storm was done, I still had to stay outside in the cold."

Emma's fists clenched. "Why that little-"

"Language," Regina interrupted, knowing exactly what Emma was going to say. Emma smiled sheepishly.

"Well, from now on, whenever there is a thunderstorm, we'll do it together," Emma said. Regina smiled before leaning in to give Emma a kiss. Suddenly, thunderstorms didn't seem so scary with her Savior at her side.

 **I'm all caught up! Thank you sooooo much to everyone that reviewed. It was fantastic to come back from vacation and see the new reviews that everyone posted. Thank you all for accepting the challenge, and please continue to review!**


	46. Day 46: Practice Makes Perfect

**So I saw this prompt and started laughing really hard as the wheels in my head started turning, so this chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Regina attempts to teach Emma how to make magical fireballs, with disastrous consequences"**

"I want you to teach me something," Emma said, plopping down onto the couch next to Regina.

"Like what?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. Something magic related," Emma said. "I'm better at my magic now, so maybe you could teach me something harder than the basics."

Regina's eyes lit up as she smiled wickedly. "I have the perfect thing to teach you," she said.

"Uh oh," Emma said. "You have that sparkle in your eye. The last time you had that, you stuck me in the middle of a bridge hoping to 'teach' me to use my magic."

Regina laughed. "I promise that this won't be like that," she said. "This will be a calm training session. There's something that I HAVE to teach you."

* * *

Regina and Emma stood in a clearing in the forest. "If I'm learning to create a fireball, shouldn't we do this in a place less flammable?"

"Probably," Regina replied. "Consider that more incentive to control it."

"I knew you would do something like that," Emma grumbled. "You meanie."

Regina chuckled. "You'll be fine. It's like doing any other magic. You have to feel the fireball before you can create it. Imagine what it would feel like to have a little ball of fire in your hand, and create it."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course you have to make it sound a lot easier than it actually is."

Regina smiled before gently taking Emma's hands. "You can do this," she said. "You have control over your magic now." She squeezed Emma's hands before stepping back.

Emma nodded before taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and envisioned what it would feel like to have fire in her hand. Feeling warmth in her palm, Emma opened her eyes and smiled. A fireball was resting perfectly in her hand.

"I did it!" Emma exclaimed. "Regina look! I did it!"

Regina laughed. "I see that," she said. "Now you need to extinguish it."

Emma pouted. "But I don't want to. Just look at how awesome it is." She moved her hand to show Regina, causing it to lightly touch a tree. The tree instantly caught on fire.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed.

"I'm sorry!" Emma said. "I didn't mean to, my hand just lightly brushed up against it! What do I do? It's spreading so fast!"

"Calm down," Regina said. "Getting worked up could make it worse. Just envision the tree as it was before."

Emma nodded before picturing the tree without the flames on it. After several beats, Emma opened her eyes. The flames were gone.

"Oh thank goodness," Emma sighed. "That could have been a disaster."

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "We'll just have to keep practicing."

Emma looked at her with wide eyes. "I'm not doing that again! Fire is dangerous by itself, but magic fire? That's just a disaster waiting to happen!"

"Come now," Regina scolded. "You have to keep trying. After all, practice makes perfect."


	47. Day 47: Wickedly Fun

**So I don't know if any of you saw Lana's picture of her writing on Fred's forehead, but I nearly died. If she isn't perfection, I don't know what is. Anyway, I was going to do something with that anyway, and then Emanuelle Cristine reviewed a prompt for it, so this chapter is for you, darling :)**

Regina was no longer the Evil Queen. That much was for certain. But that didn't mean that she couldn't still have fun being wicked.

Emma, unfortunately, had fallen asleep when Regina was feeling the need to pull a prank. Emma had gotten used to Regina's pranks by now, but that was when she was awake. This was the first time that Regina would be attacking her wife as she was sleeping.

Regina stifled a chuckle as she got up off of the couch. She had the perfect thing planned. Not that Emma would think so.

Walking into her bathroom, Regina dug through her makeup bag until she found her eyeliner pencil. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Emma woke up from her nap feeling refreshed. As she stretched, she immediately noticed Regina's facial expression. Her wife only made that face when she had just pulled a prank on someone.

"Who was your victim this time?" Emma asked, voice still rough from sleep.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina said. She stretched before getting up off of the couch.

"You have that look on your face," Emma accused. "You only have that look on your face when you've just pranked someone. It's a combination of pride, smugness, and giddiness."

Regina smirked. "It was a good one this time," she said.

"Aha!" Emma exclaimed. "So you did do something!"

Regina chuckled. "You caught me," she said.

"So what'd you do?" Emma asked. "And who's the victim?"

"Not telling," Regina said. "I have a feeling that you'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Emma had no idea what was going on. She and Regina had gone on their usual lunch date at Granny's, but everyone was staring at her.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Emma asked. Regina had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. She was honestly surprised that Emma had managed not to look in a mirror yet.

"No idea dear," Regina said. She went back to eating, simply to keep herself from laughing. Emma looked ridiculous.

"Hey Em," Ruby said, coming up to the table.

"Hey Ruby," Emma said. "Any idea why everyone at the diner is staring at me?"

Ruby laughed. "You might want to go take a look in a mirror."

Emma's eyes widened as she ran to the diner bathroom. She heard Regina and Ruby laughing behind her.

Emma ran to the mirror and gasped. The tip of her nose was colored black, with whiskers drawn onto her cheeks. "Regina," Emma growled.

Grabbing some paper towels, Emma got them wet before scrubbing her face. At least Regina had used something that washed off. Emma dried her face before leaving the bathroom and marching back to the table.

"Guess I know who the victim was," Emma said drily. Regina started laughing again.

"I'm sorry dear," she said. "I couldn't help myself."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said. "I'm gonna get you back."

* * *

"Emma!" Regina called. "Where are my shoes?"

"What shoes?" Emma asked, coming into the room.

"All of my heels. They're gone," Regina said. "Do you know where they are?"

Emma smirked. "I might," she said. "But you know, I seem to remember someone drawing a cat face on me while I was sleeping."

Regina's draw dropped. "You took my shoes? That's just plain evil!"

Emma smiled. "I can be just as wicked as you," she said. "You were right. Playing pranks is wickedly fun."


	48. Day 48: Black Clothes

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt "Black".**

"Why do you always wear black?" Emma asked.

"It's proven that black makes people look skinnier," Regina replied. Emma's jaw dropped. Regina already was skinny enough without the added effect of the dark material.

"You don't need to wear black to look skinny," Emma argued. "You look beautiful enough already."

Regina smiled before leaning down to kiss Emma sweetly on the lips. "Thank you," she said. "But I think I'll stick to my black wearing." She walked into the bathroom carrying her outfit, which of course included black.

Emma bit her lip as she thought of the perfect plan. She was going to show Regina that she didn't need to wear black to look beautiful. Any color would make her look amazing.

* * *

Emma knew she was in big trouble. Regina had fallen asleep early the night before, so Emma had taken the opportunity to raid her closet. Every black clothing item was taken away and replaced with color.

"Emma!" Regina yelled. "Where are you?"

Henry laughed as Emma dropped the spoon she was eating with. "What'd you do?" he asked.

"I took away all of her black clothing items," Emma said.

"I would hide," Henry suggested. Emma nodded before quickly running out of the room. Regina came storming downstairs, stopping as she saw only Henry in the kitchen.

"Where is your mother?" Regina growled. Henry knew that fighting his mom was way worse than betraying his ma, so he pointed towards the living room.

Regina marched off. How dare Emma take away her black clothing? Not that she knew the real reason that Regina wore it, but still.

"Emma," Regina said. "You might as well come out. I'll find you eventually."

Emma sighed before coming out of her hiding spot in the closet. "Guess I'm coming out of the closet," she teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Where are my black clothes?" she demanded.

"I hid them," Emma said weakly. She shrank down as Regina glared at her.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

"Because," Emma said. She stood up taller and looked Regina straight in the eyes. "You are beautiful in whatever you wear. And you don't need to wear black to look that way."

Regina dropped her gaze and sighed before sitting down. Emma joined her and wrapped her arms around her. "I should probably tell you why I really wear black," Regina said.

Emma looked at her in confusion. "So it's not to look skinny?"

Regina smiled. "That's part of it, yes. But not the full reason. Black is the color of darkness. Of funerals, and pain. I guess I've just gotten so used to being dark that black is my comfort color."

"But you're not dark anymore," Emma argued.

Regina smiled at her sadly. "I will always be dark," she said. "It's just a part of me."

Emma leaned forward and kissed Regina passionately. Regina sighed as she felt the magic and comfort that happened every time that she and Emma kissed.

"Did you feel that?" Emma asked. Regina nodded. "That's True Love, Regina. True Love conquers darkness every time. You know that."

Regina bit her lip and avoided Emma's gaze. "I do," she mumbled.

Emma smiled gently before grasping Regina's chin, forcing her eyes to meet Emma's. "You are my true love," she said. "And that is stronger than any darkness that you may still have. Plus, if there is still some darkness left, we'll get through it together. Deal?"

"Deal," Regina said. They sealed it with a kiss. "Now give me my clothes back."


	49. Day 49: Vacation

**This chapter is dedicated to .Br with the prompt "Maybe they going to another country". Here we go!**

"We should go on a vacation," Emma said.

"You're kidding, right?" Regina asked. "We can't leave town."

"Why not?" Emma argued. "The town is finally calm. We could totally leave right now. Enjoy time together before another disaster hits."

"I can't leave," Regina said.

"Why not?" Emma asked. "The borders let people back in now."

"That's not it," Regina said. "I lose my magic when we cross over the border."

"So do I," Emma pointed out. Regina sighed. Of course Emma would see through that excuse.

"I don't like feeling powerless," Regina explained. "Leaving town makes me feel that way."

"Please?" Emma begged. "We could just poof. We don't need to do the typical modes of transportation."

"And how would we get home?" Regina asked. "We wouldn't have magic to poof back."

Emma sighed and flopped down onto their bed. "I just need to get out of this town," she whined. She turned her head to look at Regina, turning her puppy dog eyes on full force.

"Oh no you don't," Regina said. She looked at the wall above Emma's head. "Don't you use your puppy dog eyes on me."

"Please?" Emma pouted. "We can go wherever you want."

Regina paused and looked at Emma. "Wherever I want?" she asked. Emma gulped and nodded.

Regina smirked. "Well then, I guess we had better get packing."

* * *

"You actually bought plane tickets?" Emma asked.

"I know how to work a computer," Regina teased. "But yes, I managed to buy plane tickets."

"Henry was okay with staying home, right?" Emma asked. "He's not going to be upset about being left out, is he?"

"He said that he was going to be fine," Regina reassured. "I gave him the task of making sure that Snow and David didn't attract any trouble while we were away."

"Good," Emma said.

"Why do you ask?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. "I'm just never sure about leaving him," she said. "I feel like when I leave him, it's like I'm giving him up all over again."

"He knows that that's not the case," Regina reassured. "Now let's get on that plane."

* * *

"You've never been on a plane before, have you?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "I've never left town remember? The only time I did leave was to adopt Henry, and that was just a drive away."

Emma grabbed her hand. "It'll be fine," she reassured. Regina smiled at her before breathing out the breath that she had been holding.

The plane started moving towards the runway, and Regina breathed in sharply as the plane started gaining speed.

"Relax," Emma said soothingly. "It'll lift into the air and then from there it will be smooth flying."

* * *

"Thank goodness we are off of that thing," Regina huffed. She had not relaxed the whole entire flight, and still was holding Emma's hand in a tight grip.

"You do realize that we have to ride that back home, right?" Emma asked.

Regina's eyes widened. "I did not think this trip through," she whined.

Emma smiled at her sympathetically. "Let's not think about that right now," she suggested. "We're in the city of love. We might as make the best of it."

"City of love?" Regina asked, smirking. "How very convenient."

* * *

They ended up spending two weeks in Europe, traveling from France to Germany, then Germany to Spain, before arriving again in France. Both women had bags full of souvenirs, and several presents for Henry.

"He's so spoiled," Emma said, laughing. "He could fit all of this stuff into his own suitcase!"

Regina laughed. "He's always been kind of spoiled," she admitted. "I wanted a child so badly, that when I finally got him, I wanted him to have the world."

"Well, he may not have the world, but he'll certainly have things from most of it!" Emma teased.

Regina smiled. "That he will," she said.

"And now, we get to get back on a plane," Emma said. Regina's smile slid from her face and she winced.

"I was afraid of that," she said.

* * *

"What'd you get me?" Henry asked excitedly.

"Who said that we got you anything?" Emma teased. Henry rolled his eyes, and Emma was hit by what a Regina move that was.

"Please," Henry scoffed. "I've been spoiled since the day that I was born."

"My bad," Regina said.

Emma and Henry laughed. "It's fine by me!" Henry said. Emma snorted and playfully nudged him.

"Course it was," she said. "Anyway, we did get you some stuff." Regina pointed to the large bag still waiting in the foyer.

"That's all for me?" Henry asked. His eyes widened as Emma and Regina nodded. He hugged them both before running over the check out what he had received.

"Should we stop buying him stuff for awhile?" Emma asked.

"Oh yeah," Regina replied. "This stuff should last him quite a long time."

"This stuff is awesome!" Henry exclaimed. "You guys need to go on vacations more often!"

Emma and Regina shared a glance. There was no way that Regina would ever be getting on a plane ever again. Not even for her little prince.


	50. Day 50: Biggest Mistake

**Guys we made it to Day 50! I'd call that a huge milestone. Happy Father's Day to everyone!**

 _Regina walked quickly into the room as her father lit some candles. Her mirror, that insufferable man, kept pestering her as she passed the mirrors in the hall. She didn't want to do what came next. But she knew that she had to._

" _Did Rumpelstiltskin tell you everything that you needed to know?" her father asked._

" _Yes," Regina replied, walking past him._

" _And?" he asked. Regina stopped walking._

" _I'm not sure I should say," she replied. "I'm conflicted."_

 _She turned and walked away from him again, heading for the fireplace. "How bad is it?" he asked. "Maybe I can help."_

 _Regina stopped again. "I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most," she said. Her voice was flat, hiding all the emotions that she was feeling._

 _A long moment of silence passed before her father spoke. "Me," he said. It wasn't a question. He knew the answer._

 _Regina closed her eyes. She needed her revenge on Snow. But her father…_

 _Regina turned to face him. "Daddy I don't know what to do," she said._

" _My dear," he said. "Please. You don't have to do this."_

" _I have to do something," Regina said, walking past him again._

" _Then move past this," he said. "I know this may sound self-centered, but you don't need to enact the curse."_

 _Regina spun to face him. "But I can't keep living like this," she argued. "What Snow did to me, what she took from me; it's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished."_

 _She walked away from her father again. He followed her anyway. "Regina," he said. "If the price is a hole that will never be filled, stop worrying about Snow White, and start over. We can have a new life."_

 _Regina stopped walking and turned sharply towards him. "What kind of life?" she asked. "All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone. My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing."_

" _Power is seductive," her father replied. "But so is love. You can have that again."_

 _Regina felt herself begin to tear up. She leaned forward, and was welcomed by her father's embrace. "I just want to be happy," she said softly._

" _You can be," her father replied. "Of that I'm sure. And I believe that given the chance, we can find happiness. Together. The choice is yours."_

 _Regina closed her eyes as a tear fell. "I think you're right," she said. "I can be happy." She smiled at her father, who smiled back at her._

" _Just not here."_

* * *

"No!" Regina screamed. She bolted upright, causing Emma to jerk awake.

"You okay?" Emma asked. She slowly sat up and reached out her hand. She set it palm up in between herself and Regina. If Regina wanted the comfort, she would take it.

Regina shook her head. "It's Father's Day today," she said. "Just a reminder of the biggest mistake that I've ever made."

"Regina," Emma said.

"Emma, I killed him. So that I could get my happiness. How could I have done that to him?" Regina asked. "He was the one thing that I loved."

"You were blinded by revenge," Emma said. "He was your final piece to the puzzle of revenge."

"He pleaded with me not to kill him," Regina said. "I didn't listen."

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina. "Did you want to kill him?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Regina said. "If there had been another way, I would have gladly taken it."

"Exactly," Emma said. "Killing him may have been your biggest mistake, but you can't continue to beat yourself up over it. He would be so proud of you now."

"I can't help it," Regina whimpered. "Every Father's Day, I get the same nightmare. It's like I can never let it go."

"Sometimes our subconscious tries to tell us things," Emma said. "Maybe yours is trying to tell you that you need to forgive yourself for what you did."

"Forgive myself?" Regina asked. "How in the world am I supposed to forgive myself for killing my own father?"

"What was his dream for you?" Emma asked.

"To see me be happy," Regina replied.

"And are you happy?" Emma asked her.

Regina nodded. "Of course."

"Then don't you think that he's happy? You're no longer the Evil Queen. I think that's all that he could ask for," Emma said.

"You really think so?" Regina asked. "You think that I made him happy?"

"I would bet money on it," Emma said. "You need to forgive yourself. I'm sure he forgave you the minute that he died. All he wanted was to see you be happy, Regina. And look at where you are now."

"I'm happy," Regina said. "But I don't know how to forgive myself."

"You can start with telling me what happens in the nightmare," Emma suggested. "You told me that you killed him, but you never told me how."

"That would be because you would probably hate me for it," Regina said.

"I could never hate you," Emma argued. "Besides, this is the first step towards self-forgiveness. Either you talk to me, or you talk to Archie."

Emma smirked as Regina glared at her. "You wouldn't," Regina said.

Emma leaned over and grabbed her phone off of the nightstand before pulling up Archie's number. "Oh I would," she said.

Regina sighed. She might as well tell Emma. Besides, perhaps telling her what happened would reverse her own biggest mistake.

 **Just so you all know, Regina's nightmare is literally word-for-word from the actual scene that took place. Even the actions are what really happened. I literally had to watch the YouTube video and start and stop it after every line. Every. Line. It took a lot longer to write it than to read it! Hope you enjoyed!**


	51. Day 51: WebMD

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt "Google". The one word prompts are kinda fun!**

"Ugh, I have a headache again," Emma whined.

David looked at her sympathetically. "I have some Tylenol in my desk," he said.

Emma shook her head. "I took some already. It isn't working."

"Why don't you go home and rest? A nap could help. Give your brain a little rest. You're almost done with your paperwork anyway," David said.

Emma sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I hate leaving work early," she huffed.

"You'll survive," David chuckled. "Now go home."

"Fine," Emma said. "But don't you dare tell Regina that I'm going home."

David crossed his fingers behind his back. "Promise," he said.

* * *

Regina walked through the front door, and immediately began searching for Emma. David had texted her that Emma had been having a headache again, and Regina was starting to grow concerned.

As Regina walked up the stairs, she saw that their bedroom door was shut. Bingo. Regina slowly opened the door, hoping not to wake Emma up.

"Regina?" Emma called. "Is that you?"

So much for not waking Emma up. "Yes dear, it's me," Regina replied. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why are you home?" Emma asked. "You're supposed to be at work."

"David told me that you had a headache again," Regina explained.

"Traitor," Emma mumbled.

Regina laughed. "Are you feeling any better?"

Emma sighed. "I still have the headache, but it's better. My vision is all blurry though. And every time that I go to walk around, my balance is all off."

Regina frowned in concern. "Anything else?" she asked.

"I know where you're going with this," Emma said. "Don't you dare go all 'mama bear' on me."

"Emma," Regina said. "Is there anything else that you're feeling?"

"No," Emma said. She lifted herself up from the bed, but stopped with a gasp and grabbed the comforter on the bed to ground herself.

"Emma?" Regina asked. Her voice was laced with worry as she grabbed Emma's arm.

"I'm fine," Emma panted. "Just probably moved too fast."

"Lay back down," Regina commanded. "Have you eaten anything today?"

Emma shook her head. "Wasn't hungry."

Regina rolled her eyes before helping Emma lay back down. "I swear if you move an inch, I will fireball your ass," she threatened.

Emma laughed. She wouldn't put it past Regina to do it. "Yes ma'am," she said. Regina smiled before kissing Emma's forehead and heading downstairs.

* * *

After Emma had eaten some food, she had fallen straight asleep. Regina sat next to her on the bed, laptop on her lap. Emma's symptoms had worried her, so she had decided to plug them into Google and see what would come up.

The results had the air whooshing out of Regina's lungs. She was speechless. And scared out of her mind.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Tears began to gather in her eyes as Emma slowly started to wake up.

"What?" Emma said groggily. "Hey, why are you crying?"

Regina wiped away the tears that had fell. "We need to get you to a doctor. Right now."

Emma slowly pushed herself up, sighing in relief when she didn't feel light-headed. "Hold on," she said. "What makes you think that?"

"I looked up your symptoms," Regina explained. "You have a brain tumor."

"Okay, take a deep breath," Emma soothed. "Let me see what you found." Regina handed Emma her laptop, and waited as Emma scrolled through the WebMD page.

"Well?" Regina asked as Emma closed the laptop.

Emma smiled before wiping off a stray tear on Regina's cheek. "Regina, there are symptoms on that list that I do have," she said.

Regina sucked in a sharp breath and went to pull away. Emma grabbed her hands and squeezed. "But there are more on there that I don't have," she said. "Plus, the article says after the list that those symptoms could be a number of things, and that you should talk to your doctor before just diagnosing yourself."

"So we should go to the doctor then?" Regina asked. "This has been an everyday thing. Something has to be wrong."

"Regina," Emma said.

"I can't lose you," Regina said tearfully. "Something could seriously be wrong, and I need to find out what it is. Please."

"Hey, hey, easy," Emma said. "You're not going to lose me. My guess is that it's probably just stress headaches. But if you really want me to go to the doctor, then we can go."

* * *

"Can I say 'I told you so' now?" Emma teased.

Regina playfully hit her arm. "Forgive me for being worried," she said.

Emma smiled before pulling Regina in for a kiss. "Thank you for being so concerned. But I blocked WebMD on your computer."


	52. Day 52: Can't Cook

Emma wanted to surprise Regina with a home-cooked dinner. Whenever Emma was in charge of dinner, she usually ended up ordering takeout. Which Regina hated.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked. He had come into the kitchen in time to see Emma pulling ingredients out of the fridge.

"Cooking," Emma said. "It's my night for dinner, so I thought that I'd try to cook instead of ordering takeout."

"So you want to burn the house down?" Henry asked.

"I'm not going to burn down the house!" Emma said indignantly. "I only got close one time."

"And that was the last time that you ever cooked," Henry pointed out.

"Shut up," Emma mumbled. "I can do this."

* * *

"I can't do this," Emma groaned. "How the heck does Regina do this? None of these instructions make sense."

Henry laughed. "What are you trying to make?"

"Baked chicken breast," Emma said.

"Ma," Henry scolded. "Why would you start out with something that takes so long to cook? Mom will be home soon."

"Because it should have been done by now if I had done it right!" Emma exclaimed. "Regina's right. I really can't cook."

Henry walked over to her and nudged her arm. "Why don't we work together?" he suggested. "We can pick a new recipe, and have it done in time."

Emma looked at him and smiled. Regina sure had raised him well.

* * *

"Grab the fire extinguisher!" Emma shouted over the beeping of the fire alarm. Henry ran over and grabbed it, coughing at all of the smoke.

Emma extinguished the fire before opening as many windows as she could. Hopefully the smoke and smell went away before Regina got home from work.

"What is going on in here?" Regina asked. She stared wide-eyed at the complete destruction of whatever Henry and Emma had tried to make.

"We tried to make dinner," Emma said sheepishly.

"You tried to cook again?" Regina asked. She walked into the kitchen and put down her things before helping to clean up.

"I can't keep ordering takeout every time that it's my night to make dinner," Emma argued.

"You also can't keep almost burning down the house," Regina countered.

"What is with you and Henry and accusing me of burning down the house?" Emma asked. "It hasn't ever gotten that bad!"

"Not yet," Henry mumbled. Emma glared at him.

"I appreciate you trying," Regina said. "But you really can't cook."

Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina before going back to cleaning up. "I'll show you," she said. "One day, I'm going to make a meal without any destruction."

* * *

Regina walked into the house and smelt something delicious...and very much not takeout. "Emma?" she called.

"In the kitchen," Emma called back. Regina walked into the kitchen, and froze at what she saw. Emma had cooked a meal. An actual meal. And the kitchen was still intact.

"You actually made dinner?" Regina asked. Her mouth hung open, and Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"I did," she replied. "I told you that I would."

"Look at you," Regina teased. "My little girl is getting so big."

"Oh shut up," Emma said. She couldn't help but smile though. She had just proven Regina wrong.

"What?" Regina asked. "You're looking at me and smirking."

"Just thinking," Emma said. Regina looked at her expectantly.

"Who can't cook now?" she teased. Regina just laughed.


	53. Day 53: Just Keep Swimming

"We should go to the pool," Regina suggested. "It's a nice day out, and it would be a great way to kick off the summer."

"Storybrooke has a pool?" Emma asked. She hadn't seen one before on the town map.

Regina smirked and snapped her fingers. "We do now."

Emma smiled. "I keep forgetting that you're the one that created this town."

"What's this about a pool visit?" Henry asked. He walked into the room already in his swim trunks and holding a towel.

Regina and Emma laughed. "Ready to go then?" Regina asked. Henry smiled and headed towards the garage.

"I already packed the car!" he called back to them.

* * *

Emma watched happily from the side as Regina and Henry played in the water. Henry had splashed Regina, leading to a full-fledge water fight. Emma laughed as Henry got a mouth full of chlorinated water.

Finally worn out, Regina joined Emma while Henry stayed out in the water to play Marco-Polo with some of the other kids his age.

"Why don't you go join him?" Regina asked. "We could tag-team it."

Emma laughed. "He looks happy enough already."

Regina studied her carefully. Over the years, she had learned how to read Emma as easily as Emma could read the rest of the town. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Who said anything was wrong?" Emma countered. She leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes. "I'm more than happy."

"You never pass up the opportunity to do something with Henry," Regina pointed out. Emma's face twitched, and Regina knew that she had caught Emma red-handed. "What's wrong?" she repeated.

"IcantjoinHenrybecauseIdontknowhowtoswim," Emma mumbled.

Regina sighed. "Can you repeat that in English maybe?"

"That was English," Emma argued. "Your fault for not listening."

"Emma," Regina said. She knew that Emma was trying to push her buttons in order to get her to drop the subject.

Emma sighed. "I can't join Henry because I don't know how to swim," she said. She avoided Regina's gaze, as she suddenly looked very interested in her nails.

"You don't know how to swim?" Regina asked. She had just assumed that everyone knew how to based on natural instincts. Then again, she had learned by being tossed into a lake.

"I didn't exactly have a parent to teach me," Emma said.

"So I'll teach you," Regina said. She held out her hand and smiled kindly as Emma's eyes widened.

"I'll-I'll um, pass," she said. Regina looked at her in confusion.

"Why?" she asked. Then she looked closer. Emma was sitting in the chair the farthest away from the pool, and had refused to even go near the edge.

"You know how to swim," Regina accused. "You just don't want to."

"No, no, I really can't," Emma said.

Regina glared at her. "Keep lying to me and you'll be sleeping on the couch."

Emma's eyes widened. "I'm not lying," she said weakly. She watched as Regina's eyes hardened and knew that she was in trouble.

"Last chance," Regina warned.

"Okay, okay," Emma said. She held up her hands in surrender. "I can swim."

Regina nodded in satisfaction. "So why won't you go out there? Are there too many people in the pool?"

Emma shook her head. "Can we just drop it?" she pleaded. "It's not something that I really want to talk about."

Regina stared at her before nodding. She couldn't make Emma talk. At the moment.

* * *

 _The water was entering her lungs, burning like she had breathed in fire. She knew that she needed to get up to the surface, but something was holding her down._

 _She struggled to free her body from the turmoil holding her down, but it was too strong. She tried screaming for help, but that did nothing except let more water enter her lungs. Her vision started getting blurry, and black spots started to pop up in front of her eyes._

 _The darkness started to overwhelm her, and she felt herself give up. There was no way that she would live._

* * *

Emma sat up with a gasp, breathing in as much air as she could. The room was dark, and she was brought back to the dream of the water.

"Emma?" Regina said softly. "Are you okay?" The only response that she got was heavy breathing. Emma was close to hyperventilating.

Regina sat up and grabbed Emma's arm. Emma gasped and went to pull away, but Regina held on tighter. "Deep breaths," Regina said soothingly.

Emma calmed down her breathing, grounded by the feeling of Regina's hand on her arm. "Better?" Regina asked. Emma nodded.

"I almost drowned," Emma whispered. Regina looked at her with wide eyes. "That's why I wouldn't go swimming today."

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"I was at the pool with one of my foster families," Emma said. "I was wearing this inflatable duck as a floatie around my waist, but when a bunch of kids came through, the water pushed me under. There were too many of them, and the turmoil kept me under."

"How long were you under there?" Regina asked.

Emma winced. "Two minutes."

Regina's eyes widened even more. If Emma had stayed under for even one more minute, she would have suffered brain damage. She could have lost her.

Regina reached out and pulled Emma in for a hug. "You're afraid of going in water again," she said. Emma nodded. "Then I guess we'll have to fix that."

* * *

"Keep your eyes closed," Regina scolded as Emma tried to peek. Emma laughed. Regina had showed up at the station and demanded that Emma come with her.

Regina stopped Emma from walking any farther. "Open," she said. She held her breath as Emma looked at their surroundings.

"I don't get it," Emma said. "Why are we at the pool? It's closed right now."

"To the public," Regina said. She smirked as Emma laughed.

"So what are we doing here?" Emma asked. Regina snapped her fingers and they were suddenly wearing swimsuits.

"No," Emma said. She held up her hands as Regina walked towards her. "No way, Regina. I am not stepping a foot into that pool."

Regina grabbed one of her hands. "I'll be right there with you," she said. "You can do it."

Emma looked out towards the water and clung tighter to Regina's hand. "Would my pleading change your mind?" she asked.

Regina shook her head. "I'll be right by you. Come on."

She tugged a reluctant Emma to the steps leading down to the pool, humming "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo. They reached the steps, and Regina's arm was practically pulled from her socket as Emma stopped.

"Emma," Regina said. "All you need to do is walk down the steps. Just the steps."

Emma took a deep breath before stepping onto the first step. The water felt cool on her feet, and she released the breath that she had been holding.

"See?" Regina said. "You have to just keep swimming."


	54. Day 54: Hidden Scars

"Why don't you have any scars?" Emma asked one night.

"Am I supposed to?" Regina countered. "And where did this random train of thought come from?"

"You've been telling me stories about what your mother did to you," Emma explained. "It just surprises me that you don't have any scars on you from it."

Regina stiffened. Leave it to Emma to notice the little detail that she had been hoping to avoid. "She didn't leave any scars," she said tightly.

"You sure?" Emma asked. She was looking at Regina in a knowing way.

"Drop it," Regina warned. "This is not something that I want to talk about."

"You told me about what she did though," Emma pointed out, confused. "Why would telling me this be any different?"

Regina sighed before getting out of bed. She hated confrontation. "It just is," she said. She put on a robe before leaving the room.

Emma groaned before smacking herself in the face. "Stupid," she mumbled. "Pushing her gets you nowhere. Should know that by now."

* * *

Regina sat in her study, looking into the fire. She wanted to tell Emma the truth, she really did. But if she did that, it would be opening up a subject that she really didn't want to go into.

"Regina?" Emma called softly. Regina turned to look at her before smiling slightly.

"I'm sorry for leaving the room," she apologized. "But you know how much that I hate confrontation."

"I do," Emma agreed. "But you need to know that I want to know everything about you. Even if you think that it makes you look bad."

"This isn't about me looking bad," Regina said.

"Then what is it?" Emma asked. She sat next to Regina and intertwined their fingers. Regina immediately relaxed.

"Not all of the scars are from my mother," Regina said softly.

Emma's eyes widened. "Show me," she commanded.

Regina hesitated. She took a deep breath before using her magic to reveal all of her scars. Emma gasped as Regina's body lit up like a Christmas tree. Most of the scars were on her back, implying that Regina had been whipped.

Then Emma looked at Regina wrists and inner thighs. Reaching out tentatively, Emma lightly ran her fingers over Regina's wrist. Regina sucked in a sharp breath and went to pull away, but Emma quickly wrapped her fingers around Regina's wrist.

"Don't pull away," Emma pleaded. Regina hesitated before nodding. Emma slowly released her wrist, and smiled when Regina didn't run away.

"I'd like an explanation," Emma said. "Where did each of these come from?"

"The ones on my back are from my mother," Regina started. "It was the easiest way to punish me. And easy to cover up."

Emma's gaze hardened. There were times that she wished that she could go back in time and just kill Cora. It would have put a lot of people out of their misery. "What about the ones on your inner thighs?" she asked.

Regina wrapped her arms around herself, a dark look flashing in her eyes. "Leopold," she whispered. "When I wouldn't comply with his wishes."

"Oh Regina," Emma said sadly. She reached out and lightly tugged on Regina's arms until Regina put them down. Emma quickly pulled her close.

Regina sighed in content before deciding to show Emma her next scar. She freed one of her arms and turned it over so Emma could see her wrist. "These are from me," she whispered.

Emma's arms tightened around her. "What do you mean, those are from you?"

"I mean that I'm the one that put those scars there," Regina said. She moved from Emma's embrace and showed Emma both of her arms, which had several scars running from her wrist to her elbow.

"You did this?" Emma gasped.

Regina nodded. "Sometimes you reach the end of your rope. And you're ready to give up." Emma's lips crashed into hers, cutting off whatever Regina had planned to continue saying.

"You don't do this anymore, do you?" Emma asked.

Regina cleared her throat and awkwardly looked away. "Regina!" Emma exclaimed.

"I can't help it!" Regina said. "Sometimes it helps to ground me."

"No more," Emma said strongly. "If you feel like this ever again, you talk to me. No more hurting yourself and then covering it up. Promise?"

"Emma I-"

"Promise," Emma interrupted. "Promise that you'll talk to me."

Regina sighed. "I promise."

* * *

Emma was having a boring day at work when her phone rang. It was Henry. "Hey kid, what's up?"

"Mom told me to call you," Henry said. Emma frowned at the worry lacing his voice.

"Is she okay?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," Henry replied. "She was cooking breakfast, and then I started asking questions about the Enchanted Forest and she got this really dark look on her face and told me to call you."

"Okay," Emma said. She understood what was happening now. "Just sit tight okay?"

"Sure ma," Henry said. "Just hurry."

* * *

"Where is she?" Emma asked. Henry pointed towards their bedroom before heading into the living room to finish his homework.

"Regina?" Emma called, opening the door. "Are you okay?"

"No," Regina said. She was sitting on the bed, arms wrapped around her legs.

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"Henry asked about marriage in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said softly. "It just brought back a lot of...stuff."

Emma nodded in understanding before joining Regina on the bed. She held her arms open, and Regina leaned into the embrace.

"What do you want me to do?" Emma asked.

"Tell me," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "Tell me" was their way of requesting comfort from the other without having to actually ask for it.

"You're so loved," Emma said. "You're no longer the Evil Queen. Henry loves you, and even Snow and David love you. People are starting to think of you more as Regina, and have respect for you. But most importantly, I love you. So much."

Regina smiled before sighing contentedly. "I love you too," she replied.

 **I feel like these chapters keep getting longer. Is that okay, or should I try to get them back to their shortness? And does anyone have anything that they'd like me to write? Basically, review! :)**


	55. Day 55: Anniversary Surprise

**To those of you that reviewed, it seems that the agreement was that you like longer chapters. I'll see what I can do :) This chapter is for 1CreativeMind with the prompt: "** **can you write One Where Regina Is planning a big suprise To Emma for their anniversary but Emma thinks that She Is cheating on her or hiding something From her And discovers What It was and ruins the surprise?"**

Today was the day that Emma Swan's life had changed for the better. She and Regina had been dating for 3 years, and it had been the best 3 years that Emma had ever experienced.

Emma rolled over, fully expecting to see the beautiful face of her girlfriend, only to be met with a note of Regina's pillow. Frowning, Emma reached over and grabbed it.

 _Good morning!_

 _Sorry for running, but I have to get some things done at the office before we can really spend time together._

 _Love you!_

 _Regina_

Emma smiled before deciding to get up for the day. Maybe after she got dressed, she could go visit Regina at her office.

* * *

Emma was confused. She had gone to visit Regina, but Regina's secretary had told her that Regina hadn't been into work that morning. So where could she be?

"Hey Emma," Ruby greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Regina this morning?" Emma asked.

"Can't say that I have," Ruby replied. "Is something going on? You usually know exactly where each other are."

"She disappeared on me," Emma said.

"I saw her walking into Gold's shop," Granny said. "Check with him."

"Thanks!" Emma said.

* * *

"Haven't seen her," Gold said. Belle glanced at him before going to the back room.

"Granny said that she saw Regina enter your shop this morning," Emma accused.

"Then she broke in," Gold replied calmly. "Because I didn't see her."

Emma glared at him. "Did Belle see her?"

Belle walked out from the back room. "No, I didn't. I was in the back room for most of this morning. Lots of inventory to finish."

Emma looked at them both skeptically before sighing and leaving. Belle turned to Gold. "Did we really have to lie to her?"

"Yes," Gold replied. "You do not want to deal with Regina if you break a promise."

* * *

Emma had walked into every shop and building in Storybrooke, and yet no one had seen Regina. Searching the forest would be impossible, since there was too much to search. Emma sighed in defeat before heading to the last place that she could check.

Emma knocked on the door of Snow and David's apartment. "Mom? Dad?"

"David, what do we do?" Snow whispered. "We can't lie to our own daughter!"

"But we can't betray Regina either," David whispered back.

"I can hear you whispering," Emma said. She smirked as Snow and David hesitantly opened the door.

"Hi Emma," Snow said. "We were just discussing our anniversary present for you and Regina."

"Is that so?" Emma questioned. She stared at her mother knowingly. Several beats passed, and Emma saw Snow beginning to crack.

"Regina is going to propose to you!" Snow blurted. Her eyes widened in horror and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"She's going to what?" Emma said quietly.

"You can't tell her that I told you," Snow pleaded. "I've finally worked out some of our issues. Please. She can't know."

"She's really going to propose," Emma whispered. She turned away from her parents before leaving. She had a girlfriend to find.

* * *

Regina sat on the porch of the mansion, waiting for Emma to return. She knew that the note would lead Emma on a wild-goose chase, and that had been her plan. Reaching into her pocket, Regina pulled out the ring that she had acquired from Gold.

Emma's birthstone was opal, so naturally she had gone to Gold with a request for a ring with an opal stone. Twelve single-cut diamonds surrounded the stone, making the ring look as beautiful as Regina had hoped.

Regina was brought out of her musings as she saw Emma's bug pull into the driveway. She hurriedly returned the ring to her pocket, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

"Where have you been?" Emma asked. "I've been looking everywhere."

"Well you found me," Regina said. "Hi."

Emma laughed. She remembered the day that she had met Regina as Henry's birth mother and said the same "hi". Oh how things had changed.

"Do you remember the day that we met?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Emma replied. "You hated my guts."

Regina smiled. "I was afraid that I would lose Henry."

Emma winced. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's quite alright," Regina said. "I forgave you a long time ago. I do, however, have something for you."

"Oh really?" Emma asked. "And what might that be?"

Regina got down on one knee before smiling up at Emma. "When we first met at this spot, I hated you."

"So romantic," Emma chuckled.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Let me finish," she scolded. Emma smiled and nodded.

"As I got to know you better, I realized that my hatred had turned into attraction. I loved being around you, and so I was determined to start a relationship with you. And now, here we are. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Emma Swan, will you marry me?"

"Like you even had to ask," Emma said, smiling. Regina laughed before slipping the ring onto Emma's finger.

"Consider it a needed formality," Regina said.

"This is beautiful," Emma said softly. "It looks like your mirror!" Regina smiled before kissing Emma sweetly.

"Just a reminder of what you're getting yourself into," she said.

"I don't know," Emma said. "I actually think that the Evil Queen is quite sexy." Regina rolled her eyes. Of course she did.

Emma intertwined their fingers before tugging Regina back towards the house. "By the way," she said. "My mom totally ratted you out."

 **Don't know if this was the kind of anniversary that you were looking for, but it's what I went with. Review pretty please :) If you want to see the ring, PM me and I'll give you the detailed description of how I found it.**


	56. Day 56: Tea Time with Belle

**So the theater company that I do musicals for is doing Beauty and the Beast, and today was "Tea Time with Belle". I could just see Regina hating the whole thing, and it made me laugh. So, this chapter happened! This chapter has all of the kids, and uses the ages from "Telling Ava".**

"Mommy, I wanna meet Belle," Lola said. Regina dropped the spatula that she was using to flip pancakes in surprise.

"But you've met great-grandma," Ava pointed out.

Lola shook her head. "I mean the princess. I saw a picture of her in the newspaper that mama reads."

Regina mentally cursed. They couldn't hide the fact that the Belle that Lola already knew _was_ the princess forever. "If it was in the newspaper, that means that she's outside of town. And you know how mama and I feel about going out of town," Regina said.

Lola's lower lip jutted out, bringing on a full-fledge pout. "But mama said that she liked the idea."

"She did?" Regina asked. Ava and Henry exchanged a glance as Lola nodded. Emma was about to get into some serious trouble.

* * *

"Why did you tell our daughter that she could meet Belle?" Regina demanded, walking into the station.

"Hello to you too," Emma teased. Regina just glared at her.

"Lola just threw a temper tantrum because I said that we weren't going to go out of town to have 'Tea Time with Belle'. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to that child?" Regina asked.

"I thought that it might be a good way to introduce her to the fairytale world before we tell her the truth," Emma explained. "That way, she'll know the difference between the Belles."

"I thought we agreed that we would wait to tell her," Regina said.

"And we did," Emma agreed. "But this is a chance to let Lola experience something that all little girls want to. Let her meet a Disney princess."

"Her grandmother _is_ a Disney princess," Regina said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "She doesn't know that."

Several beats passed before Regina sighed. "I'm going to regret this. Fine. We can take Lola to 'Tea Time with Belle'."

* * *

"I'm majorly regretting this," Regina groaned. "Belle" was sitting up front with all of the little girls, talking to them about proper manners.

"Come on," Emma teased. "Don't you want to learn about manners?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm a queen. And Cora raised me. I've had good manners since I was two."

Emma laughed. "Good point. But look at how happy Lola is."

Regina smiled as Lola started talking excitedly to Belle about her brother and sister who were back home. Out of all three children, Lola was the most extroverted. She could make friends anywhere.

"My great-grandma's name is Belle," Lola said. The Disney Belle pretended to be interested in the random fact, and Emma had to laugh at how cheesy the whole thing was.

After everything had been wrapped up, Regina and Emma were approached by one of the coordinators. "I don't mean to intrude or anything," she said. "But it seems as if your daughter thinks that her great-grandmother is actually Belle."

Regina smiled as Emma nervously laughed. "She loves to dream," Regina explained. "She loves Belle so much that I'm sure she thought that was the case."

"I see," the coordinator said. "Well then, have a good day!"

After she left, Regina spun to face Emma. "This is why we don't leave town," she hissed.

"That was close," Emma admitted. "Maybe we should tell her. She's a pretty smart kid."

"Tell me what?" Lola asked. She stood in front of them with cupcake frosting all over her face. Emma couldn't help but smile at her daughter. The messy eating was her bad.

"Let's go home," Regina suggested. "We have a pretty big conversation that needs to happen."

 **I know that this chapter was short, but I needed to do it quick. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	57. Day 57: Connected Part 1

**So many people have been reading this story these past few days, and I love it! The past three days have all had 850+ readers, and that makes me so happy. Thank you guys so much for reading!**

"I need your help," Emma said, walking into Gold's shop.

"My help?" Gold asked. "What in the world do I have that would interest you?"

"I need a something that will connect me to Regina. Like emotionally, so I can tell what she's feeling," Emma said.

Gold raised an eyebrow. "That's a very intimate thing for two friends to do."

"I don't need to explain to you why I'm doing it," Emma growled. "I'll pay whatever you want."

"Very well," Gold said. He went into the back room and came back holding a bottle of purple liquid. "Drink this while holding hands, and your emotions will be connected. But both of you have to agree to doing it before it will work."

Emma nodded before taking the bottle. "What do I owe you?"

"Nothing at this time," Gold said. Emma looked at him in surprise. He smiled before walking into the back room. Several beats of silence passed before he heard Emma leave the shop.

"Once they realize their love for each other, then I'll ask for my payment," Gold said. "Things are so much more powerful once you have found your True Love."

* * *

Regina was having a nice relaxing day at home. Until Emma had to show up and ruin it.

"You want to what?" Regina asked.

"Connect our emotions. Gold gave me the potion for it," Emma said.

"What is the point of this?" Regina asked. "Are you trying to get me to admit to some crime that I committed in the Enchanted Forest?"

"No!" Emma exclaimed. "I would never use it like that."

Regina crossed her arms. "Then what is it for?"

Emma sighed. "Because of what happened with Greg. If you're ever in trouble again, I want to be able to help."

Regina's eyes widened. "What happened with Greg was quite a long time ago. You want to do this for my protection?"

"Yes," Emma said. "You know how much trouble that this town attracts. I want to be able to be there and protect you if something happens again."

"It works both ways," Regina warned.

"I know," Emma said strongly.

Regina and Emma looked at each other in silence for several minutes, each debating what they would do. Finally, Regina sighed in defeat. "So how do we do this?" she asked.

* * *

"This is so weird," Emma whispered. Regina laughed. She had to admit, it was weird. Some of the emotions that she was feeling were definitely not hers.

"Well at least it worked," Regina said. "Knowing Gold, I'm sure that he would have found it funny to turn us into an animal of some kind."

"True that," Emma said. Both women looked in surprise at the front door as the doorbell rang.

"I have no idea who would bother coming to my house," Regina said, getting off of the couch. "Everyone that I enjoy talking to is already here." Emma smiled before following her into the foyer.

Regina opened the front door and groaned. Emma burst out laughing as she felt complete annoyance flare up in her for no reason. Definitely Regina's annoyance.

"Hi Regina," Snow said happily. She cradled baby Neal close to her, as if she was afraid that Zelena would sneak up behind her at any moment and take him again. It had been several months since everything had calmed down, and yet everyone was still on edge.

Regina gasped as she suddenly felt a mixture of sadness and anger for no reason. She glanced back at Emma and saw her looking intently at Snow carrying Neal.

"Regina?" Snow called. "Is everything okay?"

Regina broke out of her trance before turning back to Snow. "Yes, sorry. Did you need something?"

"I was just wondering if you could watch Neal for the night. Well, you and Emma I guess. David and I wanted to spend some time together now that things have calmed down," Snow said.

Regina winced as the anger in her increased. She had to get Snow out of here before she exploded. "Of course," she said. She held out her arms, and Snow delicately placed Neal in them. Regina nearly dropped him as she felt the anger give way to sadness. Emma was on an emotional roller coaster, and she was taking Regina along for the ride.

"Are you sure that everything is okay?" Snow asked. "You look really pale."

Regina smiled at Snow. "I'm fine. Go enjoy your date." Snow smiled back before leaving. After Regina closed the door, she spun to face Emma.

"What the heck was that?" Regina asked.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, feigning innocence.

Regina rolled her eyes before taking Neal into the living room. Henry was watching TV, so Regina gently passed Neal to him before pulling Emma upstairs.

"What was with all of those emotions?" Regina asked, sitting on her bed.

"I didn't realize that the connection was that strong," Emma apologized. "I'll keep them more in check next time."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "That's not what I asked."

"You're too perceptive for your own good," Emma teased lightly.

"And you're stalling," Regina countered.

Emma huffed out a laugh before sitting on the bed next to Regina. "It just sucks, you know? To see him being loved and cared for by them, when all they did for me was put me in a wardrobe."

"For your protection," Regina reminded gently.

Emma smiled as she felt worry that wasn't hers. Regina was worried about saying the wrong thing. "I know that," Emma said. "But Neal is their main concern now. All I am to them is the Savior. I'm not even their daughter."

"That's not true," Regina argued. Emma laughed as she felt Regina's guilt. Regina didn't even believe what she had just said.

"You know, this connected emotions thing is really inconvenient when trying to comfort someone," Regina huffed. She smiled as Emma laughed.

"It was probably a stupid idea," Emma said. "But I liked the idea of being able to be there for you. Guess it worked the opposite way."

"I warned you that it went both ways," Regina teased.

Emma smiled. "And of course I didn't listen. Because I'm too stubborn." Regina laughed. She was telling that to Emma all the time.

Emma smiled as Regina laughed. She loved hearing Regina laugh. Not a lot of people were privileged enough to get to hear their queen laugh, but Emma wished that they could. It was a wonderful sound.

Regina's eyes widened as she felt an emotion that definitely wasn't hers. "Emma?" she whispered.

Emma looked at her and her eyes widened. "Crap. You felt that didn't you?"

Regina nodded. "You love me?" she asked.

Emma gulped before nodding. She might as well admit it. Regina would be able to feel her guilt if she lied. "But if you don't feel the same way-" Emma started. Regina's lips crashing into hers cut her off.

Emma gasped as she felt magic and love fill all of her senses. She felt an overwhelming sense of love, part of it hers, part of it Regina's.

"I feel the same way," Regina said once they had broken their kiss.

"What the heck is going on?" Henry asked, running into the room. For a kid carrying a baby, he sure ran fast.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"One minute I'm watching TV, and the next I'm getting this overwhelming feeling of love. What did you do?" Henry asked.

Regina and Emma looked at each other with wide eyes. The only time that love affected the whole town was- "True Love's Kiss," they both whispered.

"Guess we're more connected than we thought," Emma said.

"How unfortunate," Regina teased. "They really should put warning labels on those potions." Emma rolled her eyes and laughed before pulling Regina in for another kiss.

 **This one was so long, but it needed to be. Hope that you enjoyed it!**


	58. Day 58: Babysitting Blues

"Everything that he needs is in his bag," Snow said. "Thank you so much for agreeing to watch him!"

"Anytime," Emma said through clenched teeth. If she was honest with herself, babysitting her brother was going to suck.

As soon as Neal was in Emma's arms, he looked at Snow and began to cry. Snow kissed his forehead and told him to be good before leaving the apartment. Emma winced as Neal began to squirm.

"Henry!" Emma called. It was her weekend with him, and there was no way that she was going to do this alone.

"I'll call her," Henry called back. Emma smiled. Of course Henry would know exactly what she wanted. She bounced Neal in her arms, hoping to calm him down, but with no success. He continued to squirm and cry, looking around the room for Snow.

A cloud of purple smoke appeared in front of Emma, revealing the one person that she couldn't live without. "Help," Emma pleaded.

Regina smiled before taking Neal into her arms. She bounced him lightly while cooing to him, and within several seconds, he had calmed down. Emma's jaw dropped in shock. "How did you do that?" she asked.

"I raised Henry," Regina pointed out. "He was just as fussy."

"Hey!" Henry shouted from upstairs. Emma and Regina laughed. Henry was still fussy.

"Thank you for helping," Emma said. "He's always unhappy whenever I'm the one that babysits. It's like he's fine with everyone else except for me."

"He can probably detect your tension around him," Regina said. She began rocking back and forth, hoping to put Neal to sleep as she had done every time that Emma watched him.

"What tension?" Emma asked. "There's no tension."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Don't look at me like that," Emma mumbled. She started playing with the saltshaker on the table, trying to avoid the eye contact of the one person who knew her the best.

"He's not replacing you," Regina said gently, walking into Snow and David's bedroom to put Neal into his crib.

"I never said that he was," Emma defended. She cursed as she knocked the saltshaker over, spilling salt all over the table.

"Emma," Regina said. She was leaning against the stairs leading up to the loft. Her gaze was soft, but Emma knew that she was demanding the truth.

Emma sighed. "Okay, so I feel like he's replacing me. Happy?"

"I'm happy when you're happy," Regina said. "And you're not happy."

"Well isn't that incredibly romantic," Emma teased. Regina rolled her eyes before pushing herself away from the stairs and walking over to where Emma stood.

"Have you ever told your parents how you feel?" Regina asked.

"Yeah cause I want a repeat of their reaction to me dating you," Emma scoffed.

Regina winced. That had been bad. "This is nothing like that."

"Yes it is," Emma argued. "I'm proving to them that they have a flaw. That I'm not completely in love with them and the idea of a little brother. They'll react the exact same way."

Regina went to say something, but was cut off as the door to the apartment opened. "What are you doing here?" Snow asked, glaring at Regina.

"I asked her to come," Emma said. Regina and Snow both looked at her in surprise.

"You don't have to defend me," Regina whispered.

"Yes I do," Emma said. She turned to face Snow. "I was having trouble with Neal. Actually, I always have trouble with Neal. You know why? Because he knows that I resent him for being born."

"Resent is a strong word," Regina mumbled.

Emma smiled sheepishly at her. "Good point."

"You could never resent your brother," Snow said. "Where is he?"

"Sleeping," Emma said. "Regina got him to fall asleep. She always does. That's why I called her over here. Not to curse him, to help me."

Snow looked at Regina in surprise. "You got him to fall asleep?"

Regina nodded. "He's just like Henry. Fussy whenever he's away from his mother too long."

"Hey!" Henry shouted from upstairs. "Quit mentioning the fussy thing!" Regina and Emma laughed. Snow looked at them both, and her gaze softened.

"Thank you for helping," she said softly. "David's waiting for me in the car, so I should go." Emma and Regina nodded, so Snow grabbed the coat that she had forgotten and left.

"Well that went better than expected," Emma said. Regina smiled before kissing her on the cheek.

"You missed," Emma teased. Regina rolled her eyes before kissing Emma's lips.

"I should go," Regina said. "He's sleeping now, so you should be good for the rest of the night."

Emma nodded. Regina disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving Emma alone. As soon as the smoke had cleared, Emma heard a cry coming from Snow and David's room. She groaned.

"Hen-"

"I'm calling her again," Henry said, laughing.

Regina appeared several seconds later. "Miss me already?" she teased.

"Funny," Emma said. "It seems Neal likes your presence." Both women listened, but no crying was heard.

Emma pouted, crossing her arms. Regina chuckled before kissing the pout away. "Now, now," Regina soothed. "It's quite alright. Not everyone is cut out for babysitting."

 **So I had someone ask if there would be a continuation of yesterday. Is that something that you guys would want to see, or should I keep it being a different story everyday?**


	59. Day 59: Poison Apple

**I only got one response to my question, so there will not be a continuation of "Connected". Enjoy this chapter!**

Regina stood in her backyard, looking lovingly at her apple tree. Even though Emma had chopped down the old one, she had bought Regina a new one to make up for it. With only a little bit of magic, Regina had been able to grow the tree to its full size.

Reaching up, Regina gently pulled an apple from a branch. Breathing deeply, she concentrated on her small portion of dark magic. The apple glowed purple before returning to its normal look.

Henry looked down at Regina from his room. He had seen her do something to the apple that she was holding, but he didn't know what it was. Reinforcements were needed.

* * *

Emma walked hurriedly towards the front door of the mansion. Henry saw her coming and opened the door. "She's just been standing in the backyard staring at an apple," he said.

"You called me here because she's staring at an apple?" Emma asked.

"She did something to it," Henry explained. "It glowed purple." Emma's eyes widened before she started running towards the backyard. She opened the back door and stepped out. Regina was standing still, gazing intently at the apple in her hand.

"Regina," Emma called.

Regina jumped before turning to face Emma. "What are you doing here?"

Emma started to slowly walk towards Regina. "Henry called me. He's worried about that apple that you're currently holding."

"There's nothing to be worried about," Regina said quickly. "It's a normal apple."

"Don't lie to me," Emma scolded. Regina said nothing, but looked down at the apple again.

"What'd you do to it?" Emma asked.

Regina tensed. "It's just a sleeping curse. The same one that I used on your mother."

Emma's eyes widened. "You're not going to eat that are you?" Regina winced in reply and tightened her grip on the apple.

"It will be fine," Regina mumbled. "Henry has you anyway. He doesn't need me."

"Regina, don't you dare eat that apple," Emma said. "He needs you just as much as he needs me."

Regina looked at her, debating whether she wanted to eat the apple or not. "Regina, please. Don't eat that apple," Emma pleaded.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered. She took a bite of the apple, chewing it and swallowing. Emma held her breath and waited. Maybe Regina hadn't done the spell right?

After several moments of silence, Regina's eyes closed and she fell to the ground. She was asleep.

* * *

"What happened?" David asked. Emma had called him and Snow in a panic. She had no idea how sleeping curses worked, but both David and Snow had been through it. They would know what to do.

"She put a sleeping curse on the apple and then ate it. What do we do?" Emma asked. She had moved Regina into a more comfortable position, and realized with a start that the scene oddly resembled Snow in her glass coffin.

"True Love's Kiss," Snow said. "It's the only thing that breaks the sleeping curse."

"So someone go get Henry!" Emma exclaimed. When neither of her parents moved, Emma glared at them.

"It's not that kind of True Love," David explained. "It has to be your romantic True Love."

Emma cursed under her breath. "Well how are we supposed to do that? Last time I checked, Regina isn't in love with anyone."

"Yes she is," Snow whispered. Emma looked at her in confusion.

"You," Henry said, walking into the backyard. "She's in love with you, ma."

"Henry, don't be ridiculous. Your mom isn't in love with me," Emma scoffed.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Trust me, she is. You guys have just been avoiding actually saying it because you both have a fear of rejection."

Emma looked down at Regina. Would her kiss actually work? "Kiss her," Henry encouraged. "I'll bet money on it working."

Emma took a deep breath before leaning down and lightly touching her lips to Regina's. Magic and love filled the air, and Emma pulled away as Regina gasped. Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she saw was Emma's smiling face.

"You woke me up," Regina whispered.

"Yeah," Emma said. "I guess I did."

"I didn't want to wake up," Regina said. "You saw me eat that apple. I did it for a reason."

"Yeah, well," Emma said. "I'm not ready to let you go. I love you."

Regina reached up and grabbed Emma's jacket, pulling her close. "You really don't want to love me," Regina whispered.

"Too bad," Emma whispered back. "I already do." She leaned down and closed the gap between her and Regina, kissing her passionately. Regina tensed, but finally gave in, deepening the kiss.

They broke apart and smiled at each other. "No more poison apples," Emma said strongly. "You're really making me start to hate that fruit."

"Sorry," Regina chuckled. "No more poison apples. I promise."


	60. Day 60: Connected Part 2

**So I guess a continuation was wanted! See what reviewing gets you? :) Enjoy!**

Regina stood at the edge of town, staring intently at the world outside. It was safe for people to walk across the town line, and Regina was actually beginning to consider it. Another town meeting had left Regina feeling like she was back to being the Evil Queen. That was all that she was going to be.

But if she went over the town line, she could just be Regina. The only thing holding her back was Emma and Henry. Especially Emma. Regina had to be careful not to feel any kind of bad emotion, especially guilt, or Emma would poof herself exactly to where Regina was.

Taking a deep breath, Regina made up her mind. She would leave for a couple days, take some time off from the town, and then return feeling new and improved. Regina hoped that Emma would understand, and would wait in town for her.

She allowed a little bit of guilt to be felt, just enough to get Emma's attention, before walking straight over the town line.

* * *

Emma was freaking out. She had felt guilt that wasn't hers for a couple seconds, and then she had felt nothing. She couldn't feel Regina anymore.

Emma frantically parked her bug before running into Gold's shop. "I can't feel her anymore," Emma said.

"Can't feel who?" Gold asked. He was polishing some kind of magical object, and hadn't even made eye contact with Emma since she had entered his shop.

"Regina," Emma growled. "I can't feel Regina."

"The only way that could happen is if she walked across the town line," Gold said, setting down the object.

"So you're saying that she left town?" Emma asked.

Gold nodded. "It's the only way that your connection would be broken."

"How do I find her?" Emma asked.

"You don't," Gold replied. "Once she crossed the border, her magic was gone. The same will happen to you. Finding her would be impossible."

"So I just have to sit tight and wait?" Emma shouted.

"No need to shout dearie, I'm right here," Gold said. "But yes. You just have to wait for her to return."

Emma groaned and turned to leave the shop. "One second Miss Swan," Gold said. Emma turned back to him as he came out from behind the counter. "You have payment that I'll be needing to collect."

"Fine," Emma said through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

Gold smiled before plucking two hairs off of Emma's jacket. One was Emma's, and the other was Regina's. Gold smiled wickedly before putting the two together in a vial. Once the cap was placed on the bottle, the two hairs glowed. Emma's gold, Regina's purple.

"That's all," Gold said, waving his hand as if dismissing Emma. "Feel free to leave now." Emma glared at Gold's back before storming out of the shop.

* * *

Regina walked towards where she knew the town line was. It had been a week, and already she felt much better. But she did miss Emma and Henry. That was the only reason why she had come back.

Taking a deep breath, Regina walked over the town line. She was immediately hit with an overwhelming feeling sadness that she knew wasn't her own. Her bond with Emma was back.

Regina waited for several minutes, and finally Emma appeared in a cloud of white smoke. "Where the hell have you been?" she hissed.

Regina winced at the anger that she felt. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just needed to get away for a little while."

"And you couldn't think to let me know?" Emma asked. "Or take me with you?"

"I really am sorry," Regina said. "I missed you. And Henry. A lot."

Emma sighed and Regina felt the anger drain from her system. "I missed you too," Emma said. She walked forward and wrapped Regina in a tight hug.

"I couldn't feel you," Emma said shakily. "And it scared me more than anything."

Regina squeezed her tighter. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Since when do you run?" Emma asked. "That's my thing."

"It wasn't running," Regina argued. "It was like a vacation."

"A vacation without the people who love you the most," Emma said. Regina winced. She had a point.

Emma sighed as she felt all of Regina's guilt coursing through her. She pulled out of her embrace with Regina. "We're connected," she said. "That's pretty much the most intimate thing that two people can do. I love you, and I don't want you to go anywhere."

"I love you too," Regina said. "And I love being connected to you. Most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Emma teased. Regina laughed at the fake hurt on Emma's face. Emma was feeling nothing but love in that moment, and Regina felt it.

"Don't even act offended," Regina said, laughing. "You know that I can feel differently."

"How inconvenient," Emma said. She smiled before pulling Regina in for a kiss.


	61. Day 61: Fighting for Love

**So I'm thinking of making "Connected" into its own story since some people have liked it so much. But that will probably happen AFTER this current story is completed. This story is enough work :) This chapter is for wicked73 with the prompt "Suggestion for you, maybe a little angry, but how about Emma getting into a fist fight defending Regina."**

Emma usually had good control over her temper. She prided herself in letting no one know what she was really feeling, except for Regina, but sometimes things got out of hand.

Her day had been going well until she entered Granny's. Most everyone in town had come to the realization that Regina was no longer the Evil Queen, but a few of the dwarves had yet to join that group. Especially Leroy.

The problem was that their alliance was to Snow. And even though Snow and David were supportive of Emma being with Regina, the dwarves were not so trusting.

Emma stood at the counter, waiting for Granny to give her the usual order of her and Regina's breakfast. Regina had gone to work early, something about a large amount of paperwork, so Emma had decided to surprise her with her favorite breakfast from Granny's.

Leroy and the rest of the dwarves came up to the counter, stopping right next to Emma. "Hey there sister," Leroy said.

"Hi Leroy," Emma said. "What can I do for you? Something happen in the mine again?"

"No, nothing like that," Leroy said. "We actually wanted to talk to you about Regina." Emma glared at him at the way that he had said Regina's name. He had spat it out, like it tasted bitter on his tongue.

"What about her?" Emma asked. Leroy seemed to lose some confidence under her gaze, but he still continued on.

"We just want you to be careful," he said. "You never know what she might be planning. She could be making you fall in love with her so that she can use you later."

Emma's anger flared. "Shut up Leroy," she growled. "If you know what's good for you, you won't talk about her that way again."

"You see!" Leroy exclaimed. "She's already changing you! You're on her side now!"

Emma couldn't help it. Her anger got the best of her. Without thinking about it, she swung hard and punched Leroy in the nose. He fell to the floor with a thud, holding his nose that was now gushing blood.

"I love Regina," Emma said strongly. "If you ever talk about her that way again, in my presence or not, a punch in the nose will seem like child's play." The dwarves stared at her with wide eyes as she grabbed her food from Granny and stormed out of the diner.

* * *

Regina smiled as Emma walked into her office, but her smile quickly melted at seeing Emma's face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Emma smiled at her. "Nothing that you need to be worried about."

"Don't lie to me," Regina scolded. She gasped as she saw Emma's fingers, which were swelling from their impact with Leroy's face.

"It's nothing," Emma said quickly, hiding her hand behind her back. Regina rolled her eyes before grabbing the first aid kit that she kept in her desk. She got up and grabbed Emma's hand, pulling her reluctantly to the couch.

"What happened?" Regina asked, sitting next to Emma and beginning to work on her fingers.

"I may have punched Leroy in the nose," Emma mumbled.

Regina froze. "You did what?"

"He was talking about how you're making me fall in love with you so that you could use me later for some evil plan," Emma spat out angrily. "A punch in the nose was the least that he deserved."

Regina pressed her lips together in a thin line and quietly continued to work on bandaging Emma's fingers. "You're mad at me," Emma said, confused. "Why?"

"Because you punched someone in the face because of what they said about me!" Regina exclaimed. "Maybe Leroy was right. Maybe I am a bad influence on you."

"That's not what he said," Emma argued. "He accused you of manipulating me for some evil plan of yours."

"It's implied that I'm a bad influence," Regina countered. She closed her first aid kit before standing up. Emma reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down onto the couch.

"Look at me," Emma commanded gently. Regina hesitantly looked at her.

"I love you," Emma said. "Screw Leroy. In fact, screw everyone in this whole town that thinks that you're still the Evil Queen. You're not her anymore."

"But you still punched Leroy on my behalf," Regina argued.

"Punching Leroy doesn't mean that you're a bad influence," Emma said. "It probably means that I should see Archie for anger management."

Regina laughed. "You're too protective for your own good."

"Only of you," Emma said.

"You're such a Charming," Regina said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh whatever," Emma said. "In that case, I'm fighting for love."

"How cheesy," Regina said, laughing. "It's perfect." Emma just laughed before pulling Regina in for a kiss.

 **It wasn't really a fist fight, but Emma's fist still connected with Leroy's face. Hope you liked the chapter!**


	62. Day 62: College

"Can we go on a college visit?" Henry asked. Emma snorted as Regina very ungracefully dropped her fork.

"That requires leaving town," Regina argued. "It's not safe."

"If anywhere's not safe, it's here," Henry countered. Regina glared at him. He had a point.

"You don't even need to go to college," Regina said. "There's plenty of jobs in town, and most of the people here have the businesses that they do because of a curse. A college degree wouldn't be necessary."

Henry pushed his food around his plate, looking down at his meal instead of Regina. "Maybe I don't want to live in town forever."

Regina's jaw dropped. Emma quickly reached over and intertwined their fingers, getting Regina's attention. She took a deep breath, encouraging Regina to do the same.

Regina took a deep breath and squeezed Emma's hand before turning her gaze back to Henry, who was looking intently at his food. "Why do you want to leave town?" she asked.

"I want to experience life outside of town. No magic, no being captured. It's a chance for me to live a normal life," Henry said.

Regina winced at his explanation. Being adopted by the Evil Queen probably hadn't helped his living a normal life. Far from it actually.

"All I want to do is visit some colleges in New York City," Henry said. "I really like that city, and it's not that far away."

"It's not exactly in town either," Regina mumbled.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Tell you what. Make a list of all of the colleges that you want to visit, and your mom and I will look them over. Then we can talk about visits."

Henry nodded in agreement. "Can I be excused? I have some homework that I still haven't finished."

Emma nodded. Henry got up from the table and hurriedly walked to his room. His moms had some serious talking to do.

Emma looked over at Regina, who hadn't moved since Henry had left. "Earth to Regina."

Regina smiled slightly. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"Well duh," Emma said. She smiled gently. "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared," Regina said softly. "When you two came back from New York, all he talked about was how much that he loved the city. What if he never wants to come home?"

"Regina, we knew that this day would come eventually," Emma said. "You can't keep him here forever."

"I don't want to lose him again," Regina said.

"Just because he's not in town, doesn't mean that you're never going to see him again," Emma said. "He'll still come home for the holidays and summer."

"Still," Regina pouted. "He'll be gone."

Emma chuckled. "You are so stubborn."

"How do you think I ended up getting my revenge?" Regina asked. She smirked as Emma laughed.

"Alright your majesty, what will it take for you to let Henry leave town for college?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "I don't think that I'll ever like it. But if it's what will make him happy, I guess I'll learn to deal with it."

* * *

A year later, Regina leaned up against the wall in Henry's dorm room. She was biting her lip so hard that Emma was afraid that it was going to start to bleed.

Emma walked over and stood next to Regina. "Deep breath," she said soothingly. "And stop biting your lip. You're gonna bite through it."

Regina smiled. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I just really don't like this."

"I know," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's hand, and Regina immediately relaxed.

Henry walked into the room with the last box of his things. "Last box!" he said happily. He smiled at his moms, but it quickly melted at seeing Regina's face.

"Ma, I think I actually may have left my suitcase downstairs. Could you grab it for me? I've gone up those stairs too many times," Henry said. Emma smiled proudly at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. She squeezed Regina's hand before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

Henry walked over to Regina and wrapped his arms around her. Regina smiled and hugged him back tightly as tears began to cloud her vision.

"I'll always be your little prince," Henry said. "I promise to come home for every holiday, and every summer. This isn't the last time that you're going to see me."

"I know," Regina said. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"I know mom," Henry said. He pulled away from her embrace. Regina sniffed and wiped away a few tears that had escaped before smiling at him.

Emma walked back into the room dragging Henry's suitcase. "I thought that you just wanted a moment alone, not that your suitcase was actually still downstairs," she huffed. Henry and Regina laughed.

"I have a meeting for all of the freshman," Henry said, looking at his bedside clock.

Emma nodded before pulling him in for a hug. "Be good. Don't drink, study hard, and wear condoms."

"Ma!" Henry exclaimed, pulling away from her. Emma and Regina both burst out laughing.

Henry rolled his eyes before walking over to Regina. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, my little prince," Regina replied. She hugged him tightly to her, not yet ready to let him go.

"Mom," Henry said, laughing. "You actually have to let me go now."

"I'm good," Regina said. Emma chuckled before going over and rubbing Regina's back soothingly.

"Come on," Emma said. "We have to get going anyway. We want to get back to town before it gets dark, remember?"

Regina reluctantly nodded before letting Henry go. "We'll always be a phone call away," she said. Henry nodded before gently nudging Regina and Emma towards the door. Emma smiled before grabbing Regina's hand, pulling her out of Henry's room.

"I can't believe that we're leaving him here," Regina said as they walked back to their car.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand. "This is just a temporary goodbye. Your little prince will always return to you. After all, he has Charming blood in him."

"So he'll always find me?" Regina teased. She laughed as Emma rolled her eyes.

"You better believe it," Emma said. As the two of them laughed, their intertwined hands swinging in between them, Regina realized that even though she had left Henry, she still had the love of her life right next to her.


	63. Day 63: Impossible

"This shouldn't be possible," Regina said, pacing back and forth.

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately from her spot on the bed. "Magic does crazy things. You know that."

Regina threw up her hands as she kept pacing. "Magic isn't supposed to get me pregnant!"

Emma laughed. "You have a point. I didn't even know that it was possible. But at the same time, I'm okay with it."

"I want to see Gold," Regina said, stopping in front of Emma.

"Why?" Emma asked. "He could tell you something untrue just to mess with you and make you paranoid."

Regina shook her head. "Not this time. He'll be curious more than anything. This shouldn't have been possible."

"I thought we determined that magic is a powerful thing," Emma said. "So why do you keep saying that this shouldn't be possible?"

Regina sighed before sitting on the bed next to Emma. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to get upset with me?"

"Depends on what it is," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

Emma's face turned serious as she looked at Regina. Something big was about to happen. "What do you want to tell me?"

"My mother tried at one point to find my soulmate," Regina said. "She brought back some imposter who she thought suited me better, instead of my actual soulmate."

"Why would she do that?" Emma asked. "And why was she helping you in the first place?"

"She wanted me to have a child," Regina said bitterly. "You know how I am. I had to do the opposite of what she wanted. So I drank a potion that would prevent me from ever having a child."

"You drank a what?" Emma asked.

Regina winced. "You promised not to get upset with me."

"I never promised anything," Emma countered. "The words 'I promise' were never spoken."

Regina opened her mouth as if to argue, but stopped. Emma never had promised not to get upset. Regina sighed.

"Why in the hell would you drink something like that?" Emma asked. "Why would you hurt yourself?"

"Because it hurt her more," Regina said. "I didn't want to do anything that would give her satisfaction."

Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "I really hate your mother."

Regina smiled. "That makes two of us."

"Wait. So that's why you want to see Gold?" Emma asked. "Because you took the potion, and now you're pregnant?"

Regina nodded. "This shouldn't be possible. The potion was to prevent any kind of pregnancy."

"Okay," Emma said. "Let's go see Gold."

* * *

"Well this certainly is a new development," Gold said thoughtfully.

"You think?" Regina said sarcastically. "I drank that potion to prevent all pregnancy. And yet here I am. Pregnant."

"True Love is a powerful thing," Gold said. "It breaks any curse."

"But this wasn't a curse," Regina argued.

"But it wasn't a wish either," Gold countered. "You drank something that damaged you. True Love fixes everything that is broken."

"I wasn't damaged," Regina growled.

Emma quickly grabbed Regina's hand. "I think what he meant to say is that you drank something that in a way, cursed you. True Love reverses all curses."

Regina nodded, but continued to glare at Gold. "So the baby will be fine? The potion won't hurt it?"

"It shouldn't," Gold said. "Your love for each other reversed the effects of the potion, therefore making it inactive. The baby should be fine."

"Alright," Regina said. "I suppose we owe you payment for this conversation?"

Gold shook his head. "I didn't do anything but answer your question."

Emma and Regina looked at him in surprise. Gold just laughed. "You're welcome. Now get out of my shop."

Emma smiled at him gratefully before pulling Regina out of the shop. "I can't believe that he didn't ask for payment," Regina said.

"Don't question it," Emma said. "I really don't want to owe him anything."

"Good point," Regina said. She looked in confusion as they walked past Emma's car. "Where are we going?"

Emma smiled. "I know that we only just found out, but I really want to go baby clothes shopping." Regina just laughed and let herself be pulled into the store.

 **I'm running out of ideas, so some prompts would be awesome! :)**


	64. Day 64: Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

**I'm really proud of the title of this chapter haha. Anyway, this chapter is for .581 with the prompt "Emma and Regina at the zoo".**

 **Just a quick note, the zoo in this chapter is an actual zoo in Maine. And it looks AWESOME.**

Ever since the town had gotten a little break from all of its usual craziness, Emma and Regina had been having "date weekends" out of town. It was a time for them to get away from town and simply enjoy being together.

However, Henry wasn't a huge fan. Ever since Neverland, he never really liked being away from his mothers unless he absolutely had to. Especially now that Zelena had been around as well. And while he understood that they wanted time together, they didn't need to do it every weekend. Did they?

"You guys are leaving me with Grandma and Grandpa again?" Henry whined. "I hate being alone with them. They make lovey eyes and talk about always finding each other."

Emma burst out laughing as she put her and Regina's bags in the car. "You'll live."

"Complaining about Snow and David again?" Regina teased.

Henry rolled his eyes. "As if you wouldn't do the same thing. If you saw what they acted like, you'd probably create another sleeping curse."

"Please," Regina scoffed. "I'm tempted to make a sleeping curse everyday that I'm around those two."

Emma closed the trunk and turned to glare at her wife and son. "Alright you two. Stop making death threats towards my parents."

"It's not a death threat," Regina said, smirking. "Sleeping curses just put you in a death-like sleep. Therefore, it's a sleep threat."

Henry started laughing and he and Regina high-fived. Emma couldn't help it. She started laughing with them. "Okay, okay. We have to get going," she said.

Henry gave them both a hug before walking back inside the mansion. Snow and David were scheduled to pick him up from school that day, and then keep him at the apartment until Regina and Emma returned on Monday morning.

"Ready to go?" Emma asked as she buckled in.

"With you, I'm ready to go anywhere," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "And you make fun of my parents for being cheesy."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Regina asked. Emma just smiled as she parked the bug. Regina looked skeptically at their surroundings. They were in a parking lot. With a lot of other cars.

"You know that I don't like crowds," Regina said.

"I have a feeling that the cute animals with make up for it," Emma said, smiling.

Regina just looked at her in confusion. Emma laughed. She loved showing Regina new things that weren't in the Enchanted Forest. Even if it was something as childish as a zoo.

"What is the point of this?" Regina asked as they walked through the front gate.

"You walk through and look at the animals," Emma said. "The other half is an amusement park too if you want to do that."

"That I'll pass on," Regina said. Emma laughed. Regina's first encounter with a roller coaster had been the funniest thing ever.

"Come on," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand. "There is so much that we have to see."

* * *

They started by walking straight through the gate and looking at monkeys and other primates, before walking past a swan.

"Aw look," Regina teased. "It's a member of your long-lost family."

Emma laughed before pushing Regina playfully. "I am not related to a bird just because my last name is Swan."

"Whatever you say," Regina said. Emma rolled her eyes.

They continued walking, seeing a kangaroo, alligators, a bobcat, and other animals before stopping at an enclosure of black swans.

"It's your dark cousins," Regina said, laughing.

"I hate you," Emma said, starting to laugh. Within seconds, both women were hysterically laughing, drawing the attention of people around them.

They grabbed a snack before continuing to walk. They stopped again at the lion enclosure, and Emma started laughing again.

"What's so funny?" Regina asked, smiling at Emma's laughter.

"I was just thinking about how you could be related to lions," Emma said. "Since you're the Queen, and lions are the royalty of their habitat."

Regina laughed. "That is the lamest connection ever."

"Hey, I tried," Emma said. They continued walking, walking past the tiger exhibit next to the lions.

Emma smiled before linking arms with Regina. "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"

"You did not just make a Wizard of Oz reference," Regina said. "Do you not remember our recent encounter with my sister? The Wicked Witch?"

"Whoops," Emma said, smiling sheepishly.

Regina just laughed. "Come on. We should head back to the hotel. Let's go say bye to your swan family member."

Emma huffed but let herself be dragged back towards the swan as Regina laughed. "I can't take you anywhere," she mumbled.

"And yet we go on a trip every weekend," Regina teased.

Emma chuckled. "Okay, you've got me there."

They walked together, hands locked in between them. Emma started swinging their arms back and forth, and Regina chuckled. They walked out of the zoo gate and Emma smirked at seeing the roller coaster on the outside of the park.

"You sure you don't want to give roller coasters another go?" Emma asked.

"Over my dead body," Regina said, pulling Emma after her towards the parking lot.

Emma laughed and let herself be pulled back towards their car. "We'll work on it."

 **Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! Tomorrow's chapter will be my own since it's the 4th of July, but after that I'll use the prompts in the reviews!**


	65. Day 65: Fireworks and Sparklers

**I'm so glad that so many of you guys found the last chapter so funny! I was laughing as I wrote it. Anyway, happy 4th of July to all of my US readers!**

The sun was beginning to set, and Emma couldn't wait. She had spread out a large blanket on the lawn in the backyard, with plenty of food and some sparklers. Regina thought that this celebration was ridiculous, since most of the town wasn't even born in this world, but Emma had worked her magic and a celebration was being planned.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Regina asked as she pulled an apple pie out of the oven.

Emma sighed happily at the smell. She loved Regina's apple pie. "Because even though you weren't born in this country, the kids were."

Regina rolled her eyes. "If something catches on fire because of sparklers, I blame you."

Emma laughed. Both women turned as they heard the sound of feet running and giggling. They laughed as Lola went running by, Ava hot on her trail. "Lola, I have to put these bows in your hair! Come here!"

"Poor Lola," Emma said. "I wouldn't want to wear bows either."

"Well she's definitely your daughter," Regina teased.

"Says the woman who carried her for 9 months," Emma countered. Regina just laughed.

"Mommy help!" Lola shouted, running into the kitchen. She ran behind Regina, hiding behind her legs.

Ava ran into the kitchen, panting as she held little bows that looked like flags. "She won't let me put these in her hair."

Regina chuckled and held her hand out for the bows. Ava handed them over, smiling at Regina before leaving the room. Emma rolled her eyes. Ava and Regina were way too close personality-wise.

"Mommy I don't wanna wear those," Lola whined.

Regina knelt down to Lola's level. "Don't you want to look pretty for the fireworks? The bows complete the look!" Lola looked skeptically at Regina.

"The bows are itchy," Lola said. "I don't like them."

"What if your ma wore them too?" Regina asked. Emma froze.

Lola smiled. "Then I guess it would be okay."

Regina smirked up at Emma, who glared back at her. She scooped up Lola, walked around the counter, grabbed Emma's hand, and took her two tomboys upstairs to put in their bows.

* * *

"I can't believe that you put a bow in my hair," Emma pouted.

Regina chuckled before leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Oh the sacrifices that you make as a parent."

Emma smiled. She sighed happily as she watched the kids running around the backyard. Henry and Ava were chasing Lola, and all three had sparklers.

Regina wrapped her arm around Emma and pulled her close. Emma smiled before leaning her head on Regina's shoulder. They sat for a few minutes in silence before Emma felt Regina sigh.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"Nothing," Regina said. "I'm just amazed. I never thought that I'd be here. That I'd be this happy."

Emma sat up and kissed Regina gently. "I feel the same way. But I'm so glad that I'm here." They smiled at each other before jumping as Lola ran over and plopped down in between them.

"When do the fireworks start?" Ava asked. She and Henry walked over and plopped down in front of Emma and Regina.

"Should be anytime now," Regina said. She smiled as the fireworks show began. The kids all laid down on the blanket, getting the perfect view of the sky as fireworks of all sizes and colors went off.

Emma leaned over to Regina. "Doesn't seem so ridiculous to celebrate this day, now does it?"

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately before smiling. "Fine, it's not ridiculous."

Emma mock gasped. "You mean, I just proved you wrong?"

Regina laughed, pushing Emma playfully. Emma just laughed and pulled Regina in for a kiss as fireworks went off above them. "Best 4th of July ever."

 **So I have something that I wanted to run by you guys. There are some authors that have their own "universes" in which they have their own plots and characters and such. What do you guys think about a "Connected" universe (that has Regina and Emma connected obviously) and then another universe that involves the Swan-Mills family, including Ava and Lola? Each universe would have their own stories and sequels and such. Yay or nay?**


	66. Day 66: Entomophobia

**This chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Emma's scared of bugs/spiders etc. Regina isn't and comments Storybrooke's insects have nothing on those in the EF."**

 **Okay so this next part is a big Author's Note, so if you really don't care about what I have to say, feel free to ignore this part and just read the chapter :)**

 **1\. The "Connected" universe is done being mentioned in this current story. What I meant is that when this current story is done, "Connected" will be brought back as its own series of stories. The "Swan-Mills" universe will continue to be mentioned in this story, but will also have its own series of stories when this current story is done. Sorry for the confusion!**

 **2\. I have had a couple people mention that they're not sure if they can give me more than one prompt. The answer is YES! I accept as many prompts from you as you want to give me. However, if your prompt is too close to something that I've already done, I probably won't do it. It's not like I didn't like the prompt and don't appreciate it, it's just that I don't want people to get bored because one day is too close to another. I don't mean to offend you if I don't use your prompt!**

 **Okay, Author's Note done. Enjoy this chapter!**

"Regina!" Emma shouted from the bathroom. "Regina I need you!"

Regina dropped the fork that she was eating with before running upstairs. She ran to the bathroom door, throwing it open. It hit the wall with a bang, and Regina burst out laughing. Emma was standing on the toilet, eyes wide as she stared down at a spider on the floor.

"Emma, it's a spider," Regina said, chuckling. She walked over before gently picking the spider up. It was about as big as her nail, and sat dormantly in Regina's hand.

"Just get it out of here," Emma whimpered. Regina chuckled and shook her head before leaving the bathroom. She opened the window, setting the spider gently on the windowsill.

"Shut the window!" Emma exclaimed as Regina began to walk away. "It could come back in!"

Regina laughed before shutting the window. "I can't believe that after all that you've been through in this town, a spider is what scares you the most."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Spiders are creepy. Like, why do they have to have so many legs? And eyes! It's not natural!"

Regina laughed. "I would really love to see your reaction to the bugs in the Enchanted Forest. Some of those things were as big as our bed."

Emma looked with wide eyes at their bed. "What kind of place did you guys live in?" She thought of what she had seen of the Enchanted Forest, and tried visualizing how big the bugs would have to have been. White smoke engulfed Emma and Regina, and they were poofed to the Enchanted Forest.

* * *

"What the…" Regina said. "What did you do?"

"I don't know!" Emma exclaimed. "I was trying to visualize those huge bugs in the Enchanted Forest, and somehow we ended up here."

Regina groaned. "I hate you."

"What?" Emma asked. "Why? I didn't do this!"

"Yes you did," Regina said. "Your magic is powerful, remember?"

Emma's eyes widened. "Oh crap."

Regina chuckled before looking at their surroundings. Her eyes widened as she realized where they were. Emma's magic had taken them exactly where Regina had been teasing her about.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, seeing Regina's eyes widen.

"You know how I mentioned those really big bugs?" Regina asked. Emma slowly nodded. "Well, we're kind of right outside their nest."

Emma froze as her eyes widened. "No," she gasped. "No, no, no, no, no. We are not about to see a huge bug walk out of those trees."

"Relax," Regina said soothingly. "It's broad daylight. They don't come out until the sun goes down."

Emma relaxed a little bit. "How much time do we have?"

Regina winced. "About 3 hours."

"I only have 3 hours to figure out how to get us back?" Emma asked. She ran her fingers through her hair, and began to pace.

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's arms, stopping her from pacing. "Calm down," she said gently. "Freaking out is going to get you nowhere."

"How am I not supposed to freak out?" Emma whimpered. "There are giant bugs about to wake up!"

"You brought us here because you were visualizing the bugs, right?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. "So visualize us home, safe from the bugs."

Emma nodded and took a deep breath before closing her eyes. She thought about the comfort of the mansion that she now called home, and how much that she would rather be there than by a nest of big bugs. White smoke engulfed them again, and they were poofed home.

* * *

"Thank goodness," Emma breathed. She collapsed on the bed in relief. "That trip did nothing but definitely assure my fear of bugs."

Regina laughed before sitting on the bed next to Emma. "That's okay. I'll always be here to set them free for you."

Emma shook her head. "No way. From now on, you're killing them."

Regina laughed before rolling over to kiss Emma gently. "I didn't think that killing was your thing."

"It's not," Emma said. "Except for when it's a bug."


	67. Day 67: Take Away the Pain

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt "Maybe one where Emma finds out that Regina's doing drugs in order to stop feeling the pain of her past and Emma helps her work through it." This chapter is kind of dark, I tried not to make it too bad, but if you don't like that stuff, I'll see you tomorrow!**

It was summer. And Regina was wearing long-sleeves. Something had to be up. And Emma Swan was determined to find out what it was.

Emma was getting ready to head over to the mansion when a knock sounded on the door. She looked at it in confusion. "It's open!" Emma called.

The door opened and Henry walked through. "Hi ma," he said.

"Kid what are you doing here?" Emma asked. "It's not my weekend with you. You're supposed to be at the mansion."

"Mom sent me here," Henry replied. He walked past Emma and went up to the loft, where he always stayed when it was Emma's weekend with him.

"Did she say why?" Emma asked.

"Nope," Henry said. "Just said that she needed some time to sort through some stuff. She said that she would see me on Monday after school."

Emma made a decision right then and there to go to the mansion. Something was going on. "I'll be right back, okay? Don't do anything that would make your mom want to kill me."

"She already wants to kill you," Henry mumbled.

"Heard that!" Emma shouted back.

* * *

Emma pulled up to the mansion and was immediately on edge. Things didn't feel right. Normally when she arrived at the mansion, there was some tension, but still a feeling of home. But this time, the mansion felt dark. Haunted.

Emma ran up to the front door and ran in without knocking. Somehow, she knew that Regina wouldn't answer the door. She had a bad feeling that something was wrong. And her gut was never wrong.

"Regina!" Emma called. "Where are you?"

The house stayed silent, and Emma panicked. Regina had to be home, since Henry had only just arrived at the apartment. Remembering the layout of the house, Emma ran upstairs to Regina's bedroom.

When she opened the door, the sight inside left her speechless. Regina was collapsed on the bed, and her breathing was very shallow. Crossing the room quickly to her, Emma felt her pulse. It was very weak.

Emma cursed. "Regina, what the hell were you thinking?" She sucked in a sharp breath at seeing the syringe lying on the bed. Picking up Regina's arm, Emma pulled up the sleeve of her jacket.

"No," Emma whispered, seeing the puncture mark on Regina's arm. Pulling Regina's sleeve back down, Emma scooped her up and poofed them to the hospital.

* * *

"No kid, you need to stay at the apartment," Emma said. "I promise that your mom will be fine. But you need to stay there with your grandparents for now so that your mom can heal."

"Fine," Henry grumbled. "Just call me if things change okay?"

"Okay," Emma agreed. "I have to go now, Dr. Whale is coming to give me an update." She said bye to Henry before hanging up, giving Whale her full attention.

"She'll be fine," Whale said, seeing Emma's anxious look. "This was her first time doing it, and she used too much. We'll keep her here until it's all out of her system, and then you can take her home."

"Thank you," Emma said. "Can I see her now?"

Whale nodded. "I don't know how responsive that she'll be, but you can try. I have a feeling you have some choice words for her."

"Damn right I do," Emma said. Whale chuckled and lead Emma to Regina's room.

* * *

Regina's eyes flickered open as Emma closed the door behind her. "Hi," she said weakly.

"Hi yourself," Emma said, plopping down in the chair next to Regina.

"I know that you're probably really mad at me," Regina said. "But I can explain."

Emma shook her head. "You don't need to. I know why you did it. And yes, I'm very pissed at you. But we're going to work through this. Together."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"Henry is staying with my parents," Emma said. "And he's going to stay there while I stay with you in the mansion."

Regina's eyes widened. "You don't have to do that."

Emma smiled before leaning forward and grabbing Regina's hand. "I want to. We're a team now, Madame Mayor."

Regina smiled before her eyes began to droop. "Get some sleep," Emma said gently. "I'll be here when you wake up."

* * *

Regina's recovery was going well. It had taken her a long time to actually allow Emma to help her, but she had finally let Emma in. Both women found, surprisingly, that Regina's recovery sped up once they had started getting closer.

"Today's the day," Emma said.

"For what?" Regina asked.

"For Henry to come home," Emma said. She picked up her phone, but it disappeared in purple smoke, appearing again in Regina's hand.

Regina's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to do that."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "You hardly ever lose control. What's up?"

"Nothing," Regina said quickly.

"Then give me back my phone," Emma argued. She held out her hand and looked at Regina expectantly.

Regina clutched Emma's phone tighter to her. "Regina," Emma said. "What's going on?"

Regina sighed. "I don't know what to say to him. How do I explain to him that I overdosed on drugs because the pain of my past got to be too much?"

"You're honest with him," Emma said simply. "He's a smart kid, Regina. He'd probably figure it out anyway. He knows that I had to take you to the hospital, and that he couldn't come home until you were ready."

"I guess you're right," Regina said. She reluctantly handed Emma back her phone. "Call him."

Emma smiled before grabbing her phone. She dialed Henry's number, and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing gently. "Everything is going to be okay," she whispered.

Regina just nodded. Emma had helped take away the pain. Maybe Henry would too.


	68. Day 68: Shattered Sight

**Congratulations Jekangel, you are the first reviewer who actually stumped me with your prompt. This was probably the first review that I had to think really hard about what I wanted to do. Prompt: "Maybe write one where Emma makes a snarky comment about how Regina is turning into Cora and Regina gets really upset or she teaches Emma a lesson"**

"So remind me again why we're going towards the Evil Queen?" Elsa asked, jogging to keep up to Emma.

"This spell makes you turn on the people that you love the most. Which means that Regina hates me the most right now. If I can make her angry, we can get these bracelets off," Emma explained.

"So we just walk in?" Elsa asked, looking in terror at the door to Regina's crypt.

"We do nothing," Emma countered, stopping in front of the door. "You're going to stand there while I do the talking."

"Why?" Elsa asked. "I could help!"

"I love her," Emma said. "So naturally, I know how to push her buttons."

Elsa smiled. "Okay. Just, don't push her buttons too much. I'd like to live through this ordeal."

Emma laughed before using her magic to take down the barrier that Regina had set up.

* * *

Emma had not been expecting the outfit that Regina was currently wearing. "Of course I have to be attracted to her right now," Emma mumbled. Elsa snorted.

"You," Regina growled.

"Hi," Emma said. "Nice to see you too."

"You must be very stupid to come here," Regina growled.

"I like to go with brave," Emma teased, taking a seat on a random box. Elsa looked at her with wide eyes. Emma was certainly pushing Regina's buttons.

"Congratulations," Regina said sarcastically. "Now get out."

"I'm good," Emma said.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "What do you want anyway?"

"Just to talk," Emma said simply.

"Wonderful," Regina growled.

Emma suddenly got an idea. She needed to make Regina mad, and right now she just seemed annoyed. Time for Plan B. "You know who you remind me of right now?"

"I have a feeling that you're about to tell me," Regina said.

Emma smirked. "You remind me of your mother."

"What?" Regina said. "I am nothing like my mother!"

"Yes you are," Emma said. She stood up to stand next to Elsa, who was staring at Regina with wide eyes. "You're just as evil as she is. You killed so many innocent people, just to get back at a little girl that told your secret. I mean, come on. That's a little pathetic."

"I am nothing like my mother!" Regina shouted, lighting a fireball in her hand. She launched it towards Emma, who ducked and threw her and Elsa's hands in the air. The bracelets absorbed the magic, breaking them.

"Time to go," Emma said, grabbing Elsa's arm and running from the crypt.

* * *

After the spell had been broken, Emma was immediately searching for Regina. Hopefully she didn't remember anything that Emma had said to her, but she had a bad feeling about it.

"Regina!" Emma called. She ran over to where her girlfriend stood, tackling her in a bear hug.

"It's lovely to see you too," Regina said, laughing. "I didn't hurt you did I? When you and Elsa came into the crypt?"

"Oh crap," Emma said. "You remember what happened down there."

"I do," Regina said. "And you didn't say anything that wasn't true."

"Regina, I said those things to make you angry," Emma said. "I needed that bracelet to come off. That's the only reason why I said those things. They are not true."

Regina smiled sadly. "Yes they are. You've just been waiting for the right moment to say them."

"No," Emma argued. "I have not been waiting to say those things. It hurt me to say those things to you. None of them were true."

"Sure," Regina said. "Let's just go home."

Emma grabbed Regina's arm. "We're not going anywhere until you believe me."

Regina sighed. "I'm sorry. I do applaud you though, you know exactly how to push my buttons."

Emma laughed. "Of course I do. It's part of my job as your girlfriend."

"Can we go home now?" Regina asked.

"Do you believe me that I didn't mean those things?" Emma challenged.

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Fine. I know that I'm nothing like my mother."

"And?" Emma asked, smiling.

"And I love you," Regina replied.

Emma smiled. "I love you too."


	69. Day 69: Blaz

**This chapter is for amywood.581 with the prompt: "** **How about one of them having a teddy bear or some toy from when they were small and the other finds out about it?"**

 **Prepare yourselves for some extreme fluff.**

"I think that's the last box," Emma said. She set it down on the floor of Regina's bedroom before smiling at her girlfriend.

Regina laughed. "And now you get to unpack all of those."

"You're helping!" Emma said. "Otherwise I'll just start putting my stuff in random places."

Regina's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

Emma smirked before reaching into the box in front of her. She pulled out a pile of pants before going over to Regina's dresser and pulling open a random drawer.

"Okay, okay, stop!" Regina said, jumping up from the bed. "I'll help."

Emma laughed. "That's what I thought."

Regina stuck her tongue out at Emma before grabbing a box and setting it on the bed. "Not that box," Emma said quickly, grabbing it away from her. "I'll take care of this one."

Regina looked at her skeptically. "What's in that box that I can't see?"

"Nothing," Emma said. She put the box off to the side to deal with later.

"Emma," Regina said. "What's in the box?"

"It's embarrassing," Emma whined. "You'll think that I'm childish."

"Try me," Regina challenged.

Emma smiled before grabbing the box and setting it on the bed. She opened it and took out a couple of blankets before pulling out a teddy bear. The teddy bear was all brown with a little red ribbon around his neck, and had the classic bead eyes and little smile.

"This is Blaz," Emma said softly.

"Blaz? What does that mean?" Regina asked.

"It's a German name meaning unwavering protector," Emma said softly.

"Unwavering protector?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled at the bear. "Yeah. I got him at one of my foster homes. The family said that even though they couldn't keep me, they wanted to give me someone who would always be with me. So I named him Blaz."

"That's adorable," Regina said. "Why didn't you want me to see him?"

Emma shrugged. "It seemed embarrassing. Not many grown women have a teddy bear."

"Not many grown women had to go through as many foster homes as you did," Regina countered.

"Touché," Emma said. She kissed the top of Blaz's head before setting him on the dresser. "Is it okay if I put him here?"

"You can put him wherever you want to," Regina said.

"But I thought that you had a specific place in your room for everything?" Emma asked.

"I had a bear like Blaz once," Regina said. "I had to hide him from my mother. She thought that having a comfort object was for weak children. Having Blaz in the room will be a nice reminder."

"A reminder of what?" Emma asked.

Regina walked over and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, pulling her close. "That I can have comfort without having to feel weak. Blaz can be wherever he wants to be."

Emma smiled before kissing Regina gently. "I love that you used to have a bear. And I love that you feel comfort now. And I love you."

"There was a lot of love in that sentence," Regina said.

Emma smiled. "There's always a lot of love when I'm around you."

"Oh goodness gracious that was cheesy," Regina teased.

Emma just laughed before kissing her again. "Come on. We have a lot of boxes to unpack."

 **This one was short, but cute. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	70. Day 70: Yellow Bug

**This chapter is for wicked73 with the prompt: "Emma finally has to get rid of the Bug, and Regina helps her through the grief." This chapter mentions the Swan-Mills family :)**

"So we need to have a talk," Regina said, sitting down next to Emma on the couch.

Emma muted the TV before turning to face her. "What's up?"

"We have 3 children now," Regina said. "And I can't always be the one to drive them places. But there's not necessarily enough room in your car…"

"I don't like where this is going," Emma said.

"I'm just saying that a different car might be a good idea," Regina said quickly. "A different car that might be a little more child-friendly."

"The bug is child-friendly!" Emma argued.

Regina chuckled. "No it's not. It's barely adult-friendly."

"I love my bug," Emma whined. "There's a lot that happened in that bug. A lot of memories came with that bug when I brought it here. I can't just give that up."

Regina grabbed Emma's hands. "But think of all of the new memories that you'll make in a new car."

Emma bit her bottom lip before pulling her hands away. "Let me think about it." She got up off of the couch and walked out of the room.

Regina looked after her in confusion and worry. Something else was going on besides just missing a possession.

* * *

Emma sat in her bug, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. The bug meant so much to her. How could she just give it up?

Regina opened the passenger door and climbed in. "Lola is waiting for her bedtime story. I don't do the voices like you do."

Emma laughed. "You can. You just choose not to so that I have something special to do with her."

"You got me," Regina said. She reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing gently. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"You've always been really protective of the bug," Regina explained. "But never to the extent that it would come before our family."

Emma sighed. "You can't get mad at me if I tell you why."

"Why would I get mad?" Regina asked.

"Because this bug is the last memory that I have of Neal," Emma said quietly.

"Oh," Regina said quietly. "I forgot about that."

"Well you're not mad, but you're definitely something," Emma teased. "I know that I'm over Neal. But he was my first love, you know?"

"I know," Regina said. "Why do you think that I kept Daniel's ring?" She took a deep breath. Thinking of Daniel was still painful. "Can I offer you some advice though?"

Emma looked at her skeptically. "Sure."

"Keeping the bug isn't going to keep Neal around," Regina said. Emma went to pull away, but Regina held on tighter. "Just listen to me."

"Regina-"

"Just listen," Regina interrupted. "Getting rid of Daniel's ring was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. I did it for a stupid reason, but getting rid of it helped. I was able to move on and love again."

"I'm loving again without having to give up the bug," Emma argued.

Regina chuckled. "You're not listening. What I'm trying to tell you is that getting rid of the bug will help you get over the pain of losing your first love."

Emma sighed. "Okay. I'll give up the bug."

* * *

Emma stood in the car dealership biting her nails. Regina smiled gently before tugging Emma's hand away from her mouth. "You never bite your nails."

"I used to do it in the system," Emma said.

Regina tugged her close and hugged her. "I love you. And I love that you're giving up the bug for our family."

"I love you too," Emma said. "I'll get over the bug."

"I'm proud of you for doing this," Regina said.

"I'm proud of you too for getting rid of Daniel's ring," Emma said. "Even if it was for a not-so-good purpose."

Regina laughed. "Thank you...I think."

Emma laughed and grabbed Regina's hand. "Come on. We have a new car to pick out."


	71. Day 71: Ferris Wheel

**This chapter is for lolaughoutloud123 with the prompt: "Could you do one where Emma and Regina go to the fair and they get stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel and one of them freaks out?"**

"Remind me again why we chose to go to a fair?" Regina asked. She looked around at all of the people gathered and shuddered. She hated crowds.

"Because we are currently babysitting my brother and we needed something fun to do," Emma replied, smiling down at Neal. Neal happily walked next to Emma, licking his ice cream cone that she had just bought for him.

"He's even more spoiled than Henry," Regina teased. "And that's saying something."

Emma laughed. "Where is he anyway? We told him to come back here when he was done trying to win that prize."

Henry came running over to them, proudly holding a stuffed dragon. He smiled before handing it to Neal, who squealed in joy. "In the Enchanted Forest, he wouldn't have looked so happy to see a dragon," Regina mumbled.

Henry snorted as Emma playfully hit Regina's arm. "Don't ruin dragons for him."

Regina smiled, but her smile quickly turned to a wince as a large crowd came running past, bumping into her. Emma grabbed her hand and pulled her away to a less crowded area, with Henry and Neal following behind.

"You okay?" Emma asked. Regina just nodded.

"Hey ma, can Neal and I go watch the puppet show? I have a feeling that he would like that," Henry said.

"Sure kid," Emma said. "Just be careful. We'll meet you back here in an hour okay?"

"Okay," Henry said. He grabbed Neal's hand and the two of them walked towards a tent full of other young children.

"So what do we do now?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "I have an idea."

* * *

"This was your idea?" Regina asked as they sat in their seat.

Emma smiled as the worker clicked the bar into place. "Ferris Wheels are awesome."

Regina looked in distaste at the rusty gears. "Yes, because this looks completely safe."

Emma laughed. "I've seen this thing going around all day. Nothing is going to happen while we're on it."

Regina nodded and jumped as the ride began to move. "For an ex-Evil Queen, you sure are jumpy," Emma teased.

Regina glared at her. "I don't like the unknown. That's why I never left town, and why I created a town that I had full control over."

"Touché," Emma said. She looked around at the amazing view, and smiled as they reached the top of the wheel. This was her favorite part. You could see for miles and miles from the top, and it was like you were finally free. It was like flying, and it was wonderful.

"Emma," Regina said, shaking her slightly. "Come back from la-la land. We have a problem."

Emma shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "What's wrong?" It was then that she noticed that the wheel was no longer moving.

Regina breathed out deeply and tightened her grip on the bar. "It appears that we're stuck."

"At the top," Emma said. "Fantastic."

The two women sat in silence as a large crowd began to gather at the bottom. Emma tried to see if Henry and Neal were in the crowd, but everyone was too far down. She leaned forward slightly, causing Regina to gasp and clench the bar even tighter.

"If you could not lean over the edge, that would be fantastic," Regina said through clenched teeth.

"What, like this?" Emma teased, leaning slightly over the edge again.

"Emma Swan, I swear I will fireball you right now if you don't sit back," Regina warned.

Emma looked and really analyzed her girlfriend. "You're scared of heights."

Regina shook her head. "No, just a fear of the unknown. And I have no idea what is going to happen right now."

"Then why is me leaning forward a problem?" Emma asked.

Regina tensed. "It's just not safe. You could fall."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "What happened in the Enchanted Forest that made you afraid of heights? Or falling from a tall object?"

"I'm not afraid of heights," Regina said.

"But you're afraid of falling?" Emma asked. She smirked as Regina winced. Bingo.

"How much longer are we going to be up here?" Regina asked. She looked at their surroundings, but refused to look down. If she looked down, she would probably have a panic attack.

"Don't change the subject," Emma scolded.

"Nothing gets past you," Regina huffed.

Emma chuckled and nudged Regina gently. "What happened?"

Regina sighed. "I was upset. I went to the balcony of my room and was slamming my hands against the outside railing that surrounded it, causing it to break off. I fell. I would have died if Tink hadn't grabbed me."

Emma reached over and pried one of Regina's hands off of the bar, causing her to gasp and clench tightly to Emma's hand. "Let go with you other hand," Emma said gently.

"What?" Regina asked. "Are you crazy?"

Emma laughed. "A little bit. But just trust me."

Regina took a deep breath before letting go with her other hand. Emma smiled. "See? You're not going to fall. I won't let you."

Regina smiled at her. "Thank you."

"For what?" Emma asked.

"I've had this fear for a long time. And I think that you just helped me conquer it," Regina said.

The wheel jolted to a start, and Regina jumped before grabbing the bar again. "Or not."

Emma laughed. "It's a start."

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the ground in my entire life," Regina mumbled.

Emma chuckled before kissing her cheek. "Want to go for another ride?"


	72. Day 72: Mental Demons

**This chapter is for princessceairra with the prompt: "Emma having a nightmare about her time in the system and Regina helps her through it" Warning for a mention of rape.**

 _Emma was at new foster home. Again. She was honestly getting tired of being moved from one house to another, but her social worker was getting tired of chasing after her once she had run away. Neither was very happy with the situation._

 _The home that she was at now made her uneasy. Her social worker had thrown her here at the last minute, not really taking the time to check and make sure that it would be a good place to live. She had just wanted to hand Emma off to someone else._

 _Emma had skipped dinner that night, a thing she usually did whenever she got to a new home, and was just relaxing on her bed. Really it was more like a cot, but it was better than nothing._

 _The sun had set a little while ago, and Emma looked out at the stars. When she was little, she had wished on a star every night that someone would come and adopt her. But now she knew that wishes were only for babies._

 _A knock sounded on Emma's door. "Who is it?" she asked. Her tone was anything but friendly, encouraging the person on the other side to just leave her alone._

" _Robert," a voice said from the other side of the door. "Can we talk?"_

" _Sure," Emma said. She stayed lying on the bed, facing her window. She didn't really care about what her new foster father had to say. He probably wanted to tell her to stop moping._

 _Robert came into the room and sat on the edge of Emma's bed behind her. "How're you holding up?"_

 _Emma shrugged. "The usual."_

" _You didn't come down for dinner, so I brought you up a little something," Robert said. Emma rolled over to face him and was met with the strong scent of alcohol. Eyes widening, Emma went to scoot away from him, but his hand grabbed her arm._

" _Shhh," Robert said. "Don't make any noise."_

" _What are you doing?" Emma asked, voice shaking. "Let go of me."_

 _Robert reached out and went to touch Emma's face, but she dodged him, trying again to pull away. "Let go!" she said, a little louder._

 _Suddenly, Robert had her pinned to the bed. She writhed and tried to scream, but his hand came to cover her mouth. "Don't make any noise," he warned. "Or it will be the last thing that you'll ever do."_

 _Emma glared at him and went to scream, but stopped when she saw the knife that he pulled from his pocket. "No noise?" Robert asked._

 _Tears streaming down her face, Emma nodded._

* * *

Emma screamed, bolting upright. She looked at her surroundings; panicking when she didn't recognize what room she was in. Whose bedroom was this? Where was she?

"Breathe," a voice said next to her. Emma jumped and went to hurriedly get out of the bed, but a hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Let go," Emma pleaded. "Robert, please let go."

"I'm not Robert," Regina said, sitting up. "Although I will give you the fact that my name also starts with R."

"Regina," Emma said, sighing in relief. She calmed down as soon as she realized whose room that she was in.

"Hi there," Regina said, smiling gently. Now that Emma was out of her nightmare, Regina let go of her wrist. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," Emma said quickly, getting ready to spring from the bed.

"Emma," Regina said gently. "We've talked to Archie about this. Whenever you have a nightmare, you're supposed to talk about it."

"If Archie knew what happened in the nightmares, I'm sure that he would be more than understanding about why I don't want to talk about it," Emma mumbled.

"I want to help," Regina said. "And I can't help without you letting me in."

"I don't need help," Emma argued.

Regina sighed. "Your nightmares are getting worse. I would say that's a pretty big cry for help."

"I don't want to talk about it," Emma said. Her breathing started to pick up as the memories from her nightmare started to come back.

Regina quickly wrapped her arms around Emma, pulling her close. Emma tensed at first, not yet ready to be touched. But then she remembered that this was Regina, and she immediately felt safe, beginning to calm down.

Once Emma had calmed down, Regina spoke again. "Here are your options. Either talk about it, or fall back asleep."

"That's mean," Emma mumbled.

"If it gets you to talk, then I'll take being mean," Regina said. She squeezed Emma gently, encouraging her to speak.

Emma contemplated for several moments what she wanted to do. Regina tightened her embrace as she felt Emma tense, as if getting ready to run.

The panic in Emma was coming back full-force, filling every part of her being. The nightmare itself was terrifying, but telling Regina about it could ruin everything. Regina would see how broken she was and want to leave her.

"I have to go," Emma gasped out. She broke out of Regina's embrace and went to run from the room. Just as she was about to leave, she hit a wall. Not an actual wall, a magic wall.

Feeling the room closing in on her, Emma ran to the window. She tried to pull it open, but it was magically sealed shut. "No no no," Emma muttered. She went to walk back towards the door, but was stopped by Regina, who grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards their bed.

"Talk to me," Regina commanded gently. "And I'll take down the barrier surrounding this room."

"Or I could take it down myself," Emma said.

Regina shook her head. "Your magic is too unstable right now. You would do more harm than good."

"I don't want to talk about it," Emma said. "You'll think less of me if I tell you."

"Don't tell me what my reaction will be," Regina scolded. "Just tell me. I guarantee that it will make you feel better."

Emma bit her lip and looked down at her hands. She couldn't look Regina in the eyes when she told her. "One of my foster fathers raped me."

Regina gasped. She had suspected that this had been the case, but hearing Emma say it herself made it much more real. "Robert?"

Emma shuddered at the name. "Yeah. But he was drunk, so that was probably why."

"That's no excuse," Regina said. "Did he ever do it again after the first time."

"No," Emma said. "He was so ashamed that he sent me back to my social worker the next day."

"Good," Regina said.

Emma looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean, 'good'?"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Regina asked. "You weren't around him anymore."

"He didn't have to feel ashamed about it," Emma said softly. "He was drunk, and I could have fought harder."

"Stop right there," Regina said strongly. "Don't you dare go blaming yourself for what he did. He was drunk and raped a girl who he was supposed to care for like a daughter. That is in no way your fault."

"But I-"

"Nope," Regina said, cutting her off. "But nothing. If you continue blaming yourself, this will haunt you for the rest of your life."

"How would you know?" Emma said bitterly.

"Because I blamed myself too," Regina said softly.

Emma looked at her with wide eyes. "You-you were-"

Regina just nodded. "But that's a conversation for another time. What matters right now is that you stop blaming yourself. Okay?"

Emma blinked as tears started to blur her vision. Now that she had calmed down, she was starting to become emotionally exhausted. "I don't know how to."

Regina held open her arms and Emma leaned into her embrace. "We'll work through it together. We've beaten physical demons before. Now we'll beat the mental ones."

 **Well that was an emotional chapter. I sometimes surprise myself with the chapters that I write. I promise to write a really cute and fluffy one tomorrow to make up for this :)**


	73. Day 73: Lullaby

**As promised, here is your fluffy chapter :) This has the Swan-Mills family in it, but minus Ava.**

Emma woke up to the sound of a baby crying. Groaning, she realized that it was Lola. She rolled over to get out of bed, but Regina grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Go back to sleep," Regina said. "I'll get her."

"You sure?" Emma asked, yawning.

"Yeah," Regina said. "Go back to sleep. It's my turn anyway."

"She's so fussy," Emma said. "I swear it's like she never sleeps and needs attention all the time."

Regina chuckled and sat up. "Well she's definitely your daughter."

Emma snorted and playfully pushed Regina out of bed. "Whatever." Regina smiled and kissed Emma on the cheek before putting on her robe and leaving the room.

* * *

Emma woke up and rolled over to look at the clock. She sighed as she realized that she had only been asleep for a few minutes. Yawning, she closed her eyes, hoping to be able to fall asleep again.

A couple minutes later, Emma's eyes opened as she heard singing. Looking around the bedroom in confusion, Emma realized that the sound was coming from outside of the bedroom door in another part of the house.

Emma sat up and stretched before getting out of bed and opening the door. She looked down the hall and noticed that the singing was coming from Lola's room. Walking down the hall, Emma quietly nudged open the door. She covered her mouth to keep from gasping.

Regina was standing in the middle of the room, cradling Lola closely to her. She was swaying back and forth, as if rocking Lola to sleep. But what had caught Emma's attention the most was Regina's singing.

 _Baby mine, don't you cry  
Baby mine, dry your eyes  
Rest your head close to my heart,  
Never to part, baby of mine_

 _Little one, when you play  
Pay no heed what they say  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine,  
Never a tear, baby of mine_

 _If they knew all about you,  
They'd end up loving you too  
All those same people who scold you,  
What they'd give just for the right to hold you_

 _From your head down to your toes,  
You're not much, goodness knows  
But, you're so precious to me,  
Sweet as can be, baby of mine_

Finishing her song, Regina looked down at Lola and smiled. She was fast asleep. "Sweet dreams, baby mine," Regina whispered.

Regina kissed Lola's forehead before placing her gently back into her crib. She looked down lovingly at her daughter, but turned around at hearing a sniff from the doorway.

Walking over, Regina opened the door and was met with a tear-stained Emma. "What's wrong?" Regina asked.

Emma said nothing, but pulled Regina close and kissed her. Regina tensed in surprise, but quickly melted into the kiss.

"Not that I'm protesting, but what was that for?" Regina asked when they pulled apart. "And why were you crying?"

"That lullaby," Emma said. "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard."

Regina blushed. "Thank you."

"Where'd you learn it?" Emma asked. "I doubt that Cora was the type of mother to hold you close and sing a lullaby to you."

Regina laughed. "No, she wasn't. I actually heard it from a movie that I watched with Henry when he was little. I really liked it, and have been looking for a reason to use it."

"I didn't know you could sing," Emma said. "You should sing more often."

Regina smiled before shutting the door to Lola's room and grabbing Emma's hand, pulling her back towards their bedroom. "I only sing lullabies," Regina said. Emma smiled. There were a lot of lullabies in the world.

"To babies," Regina added quickly, seeing the look on Emma's face.

Emma sat on their bed and pouted. "But I like when you sing."

Regina laughed and sat next to her. "With how fussy that Lola is, I'm sure that you'll be hearing me sing all the time."

Emma smiled before yawning. "Can I put in song requests?"

"Sure," Regina said, laughing. "You can give me song requests."

 **The lullaby that Regina sang was "Baby Mine" from Dumbo. In the movie it's during a really depressing scene, but I like the lyrics, so I went with it. Hope you enjoyed the fluff!**


	74. Day 74: Origami

"Ma what are you doing?" Henry asked. He had come to hang with Emma at the station, and had walked in on her folding paper.

"Making a swan," Emma said. She finished off the last fold and smiled in satisfaction. It was perfect.

"Uh, why?" Henry asked.

"You know how you told me a couple days ago that I should just admit my feelings for your mom and get it over with?" Emma asked.

Henry's face lit up. "You're going to?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "And this is how I'm going to do it."

"An origami swan?" Henry asked in confusion. "That hardly seems romantic."

"On the outside maybe. But on the inside, this little guy says everything that I want to," Emma said. She smiled as Henry caught on.

"How are you going to get it to her?" Henry asked.

Emma smiled at him. "I'm going to put it on her desk. But I'm going to need a little bit of a distraction."

Henry smiled back. "I love distractions."

* * *

"Hi mom," Henry said, walking into Regina's office.

"Henry," Regina said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to grab lunch with me at Granny's," Henry said.

Regina looked in surprise at the clock on her wall. "Is it really lunch time already?"

Henry laughed. "Yeah mom. It's lunch time already."

"Let me finish this last piece of paperwork and then we can go," Regina said. Henry sighed dramatically and plopped into the chair in front of her desk.

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. He definitely had some of Emma in him. Which she of course had no problem with, considering her feelings for the blonde. Not that she could ever act on them.

Henry waved his hand in front of Regina's face. "Earth to mom."

Regina jumped. "Sorry. We can go now."

"But you didn't finish your paperwork," Henry said.

Regina smiled at him. "I have a feeling that you have your ma's patience level. Therefore, we might as well go now."

Henry laughed as he stood up. "You make a good point."

* * *

Regina came back from lunch with Henry feeling ready to dive back into her paperwork. She set her purse down and was about to sit in her chair when she noticed the paper swan on her desk.

"Emma," Regina said with a smile. She delicately picked up the swan and examined it. Somehow she knew that the swan had something more to it than just making her smile.

Sure enough, written on one of the wings was "unfold me". Regina took a deep breath before starting to unfold the swan. She stopped as she got to the final fold that would reveal what was on the inside. Did she really want to see what it was?

Regina shook her head before setting the paper back on her desk. Too much risk. And she had work to get done.

But as the minutes went by, Regina's curiosity increased. Clearly whatever was written in the swan was important, or Emma wouldn't have gone through the effort to make the swan itself.

Sighing in defeat, Regina opened up the swan and looked at the message inside. Her eyes widened and she dropped the paper in shock. Getting up quickly, Regina ran out of her office and headed towards the sheriff station.

The note had only three words, but they had Regina running out of the building like it was on fire.

 _I love you_

* * *

Emma heard the door to the station slam and was immediately ready to spring into action. With how much trouble that the town attracted, she wouldn't have been surprised if another demon or villain had showed up and was already getting into trouble.

Instead, Regina came running into the room. "Hey," Emma said. "Are you okay? You're really out of breath."

"I ran all the way from my office," Regina panted.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "In those heels?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I was a queen. I know how to run in heels."

"Touché," Emma said, leaning back in her chair. "So what can I do for you Madame Mayor? New demon in town that we need to take care off?"

Regina smiled and walked behind Emma's desk, leaning casually up against it. "I didn't realize that you knew how to do origami."

Emma's eyes widened. So that was why Regina had been running. "Um. Uh. Yeah. Only swans though. I didn't learn anything else."

Regina smiled. She held out her hand, and in a puff of purple smoke she was holding an origami lioness. "Queen of the jungle."

Emma laughed before taking it from her. "Am I supposed to unfold it?"

"Of course," Regina said. "Go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, Emma slowly unfolded the lioness. She smiled at the words inside before standing up and pulling Regina to her, kissing her passionately.

Regina's lioness had four words, but those four words had been the start of everything.

 _I love you too_


	75. Day 75: Sisterly Love

**This chapter is for amywood.581 with the prompt: "** **How about one where Regina is sad because she missed out on having a sister (Zelena)?"**

Emma smiled as Lola ran around the backyard, looking for Ava. Ava giggled from her hiding spot in the apple tree, looking down at her sister.

"Ava!" Lola shouted. "I give up! Where are you?"

"Look up silly," Ava giggled. Lola looked up and smiled. She reached to start climbing the tree, so Ava hurriedly climbed down.

Lola grinned before lightly hitting Ava's arm. "Tag!"

Ava laughed before playfully running after Lola. She kept herself at a light jog so that she wouldn't actually catch her. Emma laughed as Ava finally caught up to Lola, scooping her up and tickling her. Lola's laughter and shrieks filled the air, warming Emma's heart.

Smiling, Emma stood up from her chair. "Be good!" she called to Ava and Lola. They both smiled at her before going back to playing.

* * *

"Hey, what're you doing in here?" Emma asked.

Regina jumped from her spot by the kitchen counter. "Cutting up an apple. Thought that it would be nice to do some baking."

Emma leaned against the counter. "You're making apple turnovers?"

Regina smiled. "This isn't going to be like the last time that I made them. Nobody is going to fall into a death-like sleep."

"Good," Emma said, lifting herself onto the counter. "So what're you doing in here instead of outside?"

"I just told you. I'm baking," Regina said.

"Our daughters are laughing and chasing each other around the backyard. You can't possibly tell me that you'd rather bake than see that," Emma argued.

"Of course not," Regina said. "I'll be out after I put these in the oven."

Emma reached over and grabbed an apple slice, quickly popping it into her mouth before Regina could steal it from her. Regina glared at her. "I doubt one slice missing is going to mess up your whole recipe," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Sure. I'll just make you take the first bite."

Emma laughed before hopping down from the counter. "Come outside when the turnovers are in the oven!"

* * *

It had been a half-hour, and Regina still hadn't come outside. Lola and Ava had now taken to having a tea party with a couple of their favorite stuffed animals, and Emma was enjoying the different voices that Lola used for each animal.

The back door opened, and Henry poked his head out. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm home."

"Thanks kid," Emma said. "Did you have a good day with your grandparents?"

"Yeah, we did some fun stuff. They said that they want to spend time with Lola and Ava though," Henry replied.

Emma sighed. "I know. But Ava is still cautious around people outside of our family, and Lola won't go anywhere without Ava."

Henry chuckled. "They're quite a pair."

"That they are," Emma said. "By the way, have you seen your mom?"

"Yeah, she's in the living room. I think that she's cleaning," Henry said. "I'm gonna go upstairs. I really don't want to be sucked into the tea party."

Emma laughed and smiled as Henry quickly went back into the house before Lola saw him. It was extremely hard to say no to her.

Emma sighed before standing up. "Have a cup of tea for me!" she called to the girls. Ava smiled at her and raised her cup before taking a dramatic drink.

* * *

"So the turnovers are in and out of the oven," Emma said.

Regina jumped and spun to her. "Will you stop sneaking up on me?"

"Why are you in here?" Emma asked. "You said that you would come out."

"It's not like the girls noticed that I wasn't out there," Regina said, going back to her cleaning.

"Is that what this is about?" Emma asked. "You're testing them to see if they notice that you're missing? They haven't been paying much attention to me either except for when I left to come find you."

"That's not what this is about," Regina mumbled.

Emma walked over and grabbed the duster from Regina's hand, setting it down on the fireplace. She grabbed Regina's hands and pulled her over to the couch. "What's it about then?"

Regina sighed. "They're so close."

"And that's a bad thing?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said quickly. "I love that they're so close. It's just that I never had what they do. But I always wish that I had."

"You're jealous of our daughters?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Not jealous," Regina said. "More like sad because I'm seeing what I missed out on. When I finally did discover that I have a sister, she turned out to be almost just like me. Bitter. Hateful. Which I could have dealt with. But she wanted her revenge. On me."

"So you finally got to experience having a sister, but it definitely wasn't what you were hoping for," Emma said.

Regina nodded. "I've always wanted a sister. Being around Cora would have been much more manageable if I had been around someone who would always have gotten my back and been there for me."

"You have that now," Emma said, nudging her gently. "Just not in the form of a sister."

Regina smiled. "I think that I'm okay with that."

"Good," Emma said, leaning in to kiss her gently. They broke apart as they heard the sound of little feet running towards them.

Lola skidded to a stop in the doorway and smiled at her mothers. "Found you!"

Regina laughed. "That you did."

"We're having a tea party," Lola said. "Let's go outside." With that, she turned and ran back towards the back door.

Emma burst out laughing. "She is so your daughter. That bossiness is all you."

"But the running in the house is all you," Regina countered.

"Good point," Emma said, standing up. "If we don't go outside, she'll just come back in until we do."

Regina smiled and stood up before linking her arm with Emma's. "Well then, my dear, I do believe that we have a tea party to attend."

 **Guys tomorrow is Lana's birthday and I'm so excited because I have such an awesome birthday chapter planned!**


	76. Day 76: Regina's Birthday

**Today is Lana's birthday! I don't know if you guys saw the live video that she did on Facebook, but it was fantastic and I loved it. Anyway, here is some birthday fluff!**

Today was Regina's birthday. Not many people knew about it, but somehow Emma had found out. Regina blamed Henry.

As she woke up, Regina instantly noticed that Emma wasn't in bed with her. Sighing, Regina rolled over, fully expecting to be met with some kind of note explaining why Emma was missing. Instead, she was met with 3 stuffed animals staring back at her.

"What the hell?" Regina asked, sitting up. Sitting in front of the animals was a note, clearly written by Emma.

 _Get dressed, and then pick an animal. Choose wisely! You never know where they might take you._

 _Emma_

Smiling, Regina snapped her fingers, instantly getting completely dressed. She looked at the animals in front of her. Her options were a tiger, a turtle, or a kangaroo. How Emma had even found these, Regina had no idea.

Pursing her lips, Regina reached out and picked up the turtle. White smoke surrounded her and she was poofed to the next location.

* * *

Regina looked around in confusion before realizing that she was by the ocean. Looking down, she realized that she was still holding the turtle from earlier. "Turtle, ocean. Makes sense," Regina said with a smile.

She looked around and saw three seashells lying in a neat row on the sand. Regina assumed that the same rules applied as the first time and examined the shells closely. One was purple, one was pink, and the last one was yellow.

Reaching out, Regina gently picked up the purple shell. White smoke surrounded her again and she was transported to the next location.

* * *

"Now where am I?" Regina mumbled to herself. She turned in a circle and realized that she was at the docks. Sitting by her feet were 3 necklaces, each with a different pendant. Putting the shell and turtle in her pocket, Regina knelt down to examine the necklaces.

One had a heart on it, one had ring on it, and the last one had a crown on it. Smiling, Regina reached out without hesitation and picked up the necklace with the heart.

White smoke surrounded Regina again and she was transported to her last and final spot.

* * *

"Took you long enough to get here," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Your fault for sending me to so many places."

"But then you wouldn't have gotten all of the cute little gifts," Emma said. She reached out and took the necklace from Regina before putting it around Regina's neck.

"I did like the little scavenger hunt," Regina admitted.

Emma smiled before grabbing Regina's hand. "I have one more present for you. But you have to close your eyes."

Regina looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Emma rolled her eyes. "Must you always be so difficult?"

Regina laughed as Emma covered her eyes for her. "You love me for it."

"That I do," Emma said, kissing Regina's cheek. She led Regina a little farther into the forest before stopping.

Smiling from ear to ear, Emma uncovered Regina's eyes. Regina gasped when she realized where they were. Two beautiful horses stood in front of them both, saddled and ready to be ridden.

"We're going riding?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "Snow told me that you used to love riding."

"Your mother helped you plan this? For my birthday?" Regina asked.

"Yep," Emma said. "Now pick a horse."

Regina gasped as she looked at the horse to the right. She walked forward and lightly stroked his mane. "He looks like Rocinante."

"I know," Emma said. "That's why I picked him."

Regina turned to her in surprise. "How do you know what Rocinante looked like?"

"My mother may have also helped with that," Emma admitted.

"Did you plan any of this?" Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Just get on the horse." Regina laughed before gracefully lifting herself onto the horse's back. Emma smiled before lifting herself up onto the other horse's back.

"So where are we going?" Regina asked.

"Lead the way," Emma said. "This is the part of the surprise that you get control of."

Regina's face lit up and she immediately took off at a gallop through the forest. Emma laughed before following behind her. Eventually Regina slowed down her horse so Emma could catch up, and the two of them rode side-by-side.

"When did you learn to ride?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "I had a couple foster homes that were on farms with horses. Was a nice escape. Riding makes you feel free you know?"

Regina nodded. "Believe me, I do."

Emma smiled at her. "So how does this do for a birthday celebration?"

"This is the best birthday I've ever had," Regina said. "Thank you."

"Anything for you," Emma said. They continued riding together in comfortable silence, and Regina felt love and happiness that she hadn't felt since Daniel. It really was the best birthday she had ever had.


	77. Day 77: Teenage Pregnancy

**So I saw this prompt online when I googled Swan Queen prompts, so if you have a story similar to it, I promise that I'm not copying you!**

"Mom?" Henry called softly from the doorway. "Can we talk?"

"Uh oh," Regina teased. "That's never good. What'd you do this time?"

Henry winced. "I don't want you to get really upset. It was just an accident, but it kinda has severe consequences."

Regina's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I may have, um," Henry said. He looked down at his feet.

"Henry," Regina said gently. "Just tell me."

"Violet is pregnant," Henry blurted out.

Regina's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "So you're telling me that you got your girlfriend pregnant?"

"Yeah," Henry mumbled. "We didn't mean to. We just got caught up in the moment and it just kinda happened."

Regina was speechless. She had raised her son better than this. But she knew that he truly felt bad about it, and that yelling at him would get her nowhere.

"We'll get through this together," Regina said. "As a family."

"Which reminds me," Henry said. "I still need to tell ma."

"Oh no," Regina groaned. "She's not going to take this well."

* * *

"Violet is what?" Emma yelled.

Henry winced. "We just got caught up in the moment."

"Caught up in the moment?" Emma growled. "Caught up in the moment? That's the most bullshit excuse I have ever heard."

"Emma," Regina said, trying to get her wife's attention.

"No Regina," Emma said. She glared at their son. "Henry do you even realize what you did? You probably just ruined that girl's life! She's going to be stared at and laughed at."

"I know," Henry mumbled.

"No, you do not know," Emma said. "You do not know what she is going to go through all because you couldn't keep it in your pants."

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "Enough. He feels bad enough already."

Emma collapsed on the couch and put her head in her hands. Regina looked at Henry before gesturing for him to leave the room. She sat down next to Emma and rubbed her back soothingly. "Talk to me."

"I know what teenage pregnancies are like," Emma mumbled. "And that poor girl is going to go through so much."

"We'll get through it together," Regina said gently. "As a family."

Emma sighed. "Regina, he made such a big mistake. They both did."

"And who better to help them than someone who's been through teenage pregnancy before?" Regina asked. She grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed gently. "Violet is not you. She is not alone, and she has a huge support system that will kill anyone who even dares to point at her."

Emma huffed out a laugh. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Regina teased.

Emma smiled before putting her head on Regina's shoulder. "So what do we do?"

"We support them," Regina said simply. "That's pretty much all that we can do."

"Never thought that I'd be a grandmother," Emma said.

Regina shuddered. "I was trying to ignore that fact, thank you very much."

Emma laughed. "Sorry."

Henry walked slowly into the room. "Am I forgiven?"

"Like hell you are," Emma said. Henry winced.

"But we're going to work together," Regina added, nudging Emma who nodded.

"Whew," Henry said. "I thought that ma was going to kill me."

"Don't speak too soon," Emma teased. Henry smiled at her. Emma may still be mad at him, but things were going to be okay.

 **Review?**


	78. Day 78: Always Beautiful

**This chapter is for tae200243 with the prompt: "** **Could you do one where Regina is pregnant and thinks she's fat. So Emma comforts her." Thank you for favoriting and following the story!**

Regina stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, turning sideways. She huffed in annoyance at seeing the beginning of her baby bump. Being pregnant was exciting, and Regina was happy that she was carrying her and Emma's child, but she could no longer fit into some of her most favorite clothes. Mainly her dress pants.

"Good morning," Emma said cheerfully, kissing Regina on the cheek.

"Is it?" Regina asked, glaring at her reflection.

"Uh oh," Emma said, sitting on their bed. "What's wrong?"

Regina turned to Emma and tugged at her pants in annoyance. "This is what's wrong. They won't button."

"You just need new pants," Emma said gently. "It's not that big of a deal."

Regina turned back to the mirror in frustration. "How is this not a big deal? I'm fat."

"You are not fat," Emma scolded. "You're pregnant. There's a big difference between being fat and being pregnant."

"Is there though?" Regina asked. She was looking intently at her reflection, turning side to side.

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately before waving her hand. Regina's mirror disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Hey!" Regina protested. "You don't take away the Evil Queen's mirror!"

"Former Evil Queen," Emma corrected. "And I just did. You don't need to look in a mirror."

"And why's that?" Regina asked, crossing her arms.

"Because you look beautiful and don't need a mirror making you think differently," Emma said.

"If I was beautiful, I would be able to still fit in my current clothes," Regina said, pouting. Emma smiled before standing up and walking over to Regina. She wrapped her arms around her wife, pulling her close.

"You do not need to be skinny to be beautiful," Emma said. "You're carrying my child. How in the world could I not find that beautiful?"

Regina smiled before relaxing completely into Emma's embrace. "So what do we do about my pants?"

"We can go shopping for some new clothes," Emma said. "I promise that there's clothes that will still fit your taste, but that will fit you much better."

"Okay," Regina said. "I guess I'll admit defeat."

Emma chuckled lightly before pulling away from Regina. "You will always be beautiful to me. No matter what."

"I may need you to keep reminding me of that," Regina said.

Emma smiled before kissing Regina. "I have no problem telling you exactly how beautiful you are."

Regina laughed. "I love you."

Emma leaned forward, touching their foreheads together. "I love you too."


	79. Day 79: Real or Not?

"Let's play a game," Regina said.

Emma slowly opened an eye to look at her. "I'm comfortable."

Regina laughed before playfully poking Emma's side. "Come on. It'll be fun. And there will be an award at the end if you successfully complete the game."

"An award huh?" Emma asked. She suddenly looked very interested.

Regina nodded. "But you have to play the game by the rules. And if you give up, no reward. Deal?"

"Deal," Emma said. "So what is this game?"

Regina snapped her fingers, poofing both herself and Emma into the backyard. They stood on opposite sides of the yard, and Emma began to regret her decision to play whatever game Regina had up her sleeve. "Why are we outside?" Emma asked. "This isn't going to be an obstacle course is it?"

Regina laughed and shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's called 'Real or Not?' Basically, I ask you questions, and you reply with 'real' or 'not'. Answer honestly, and you take a step forward. Lie to me, and you take a step back. When you make it to me, you win."

"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad," Emma said.

Regina smiled. "We'll start with the easy questions."

"There are different difficulties?" Emma asked.

"Hush," Regina scolded. "Let's get started. First one is really easy. You love Henry, real or not?"

"Real. Very much real," Emma said strongly. She smiled as Regina chuckled before she took a step forward.

"Next question," Regina said. "You enjoy it when I dress you up in dressy clothes, real or not?"

"Not," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes and pointed backwards. "How did you know I was lying?" Emma asked.

"I know you," Regina said simply. "Now then, next question. You trust me completely, real or not?"

"Real," Emma said. She took a step forward, not even waiting for confirmation from Regina.

"Good," Regina said. "Now then, onto the medium-hard questions."

"Great," Emma mumbled. "This'll be good."

"You love your parents. Real or not?" Regina asked.

Emma looked at her with wide eyes. "How is that an easy question? There's so much that can be considered!"

"I didn't say it was easy, we moved to the medium-hard level," Regina said, smirking. "Now answer the question."

Emma took a deep breath. "Real." She looked at Regina, who nodded. Breathing a sigh of relief, Emma took a step forward.

"Next question," Regina said. "You would get rid of your bug for me, real or not?"

Emma laughed. "Not."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Someday, I am going to get above that metal coffin on wheels on the love scale."

Emma smiled before taking a step forward. She was about a quarter of the way to Regina, and so far the game hadn't been too bad.

"Next question. You like it when I bake things with apples, real or not?" Regina asked.

"Real," Emma said quickly. "Your apple pies are awesome."

Regina laughed. "Glad to see that you got over the whole apple turnover incident."

Emma waved her hand dismissively as she stepped forward. "I got over that a long time ago. I was threatening your claim over Henry."

"Speaking of Henry, you regret giving him up, real or not?" Regina asked.

Emma gasped. "That's a mean question."

"How so?" Regina asked.

"You know that I regret giving him up," Emma said. "But at the same time, I don't because I'm glad that he ended up with a mother like you."

"Good point," Regina said. "Forget that question. You enjoy watching _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_ , real or not?"

"Not," Emma said. "It's so bad. And very unrealistic."

Regina nodded as Emma took a step forward. "My comfort movie is _Lady and the Tramp_ , real or not?"

"Real," Emma said, smiling. She honestly found it incredibly adorable that Regina always went to that movie whenever she had a bad day.

"You're halfway done," Regina said with a smile.

"So let me guess, the questions get hard now?" Emma asked.

Regina chuckled before growing serious. "Any questions that I ask that you don't feel comfortable answering, just tell me okay?"

"Okay," Emma said. "Bring it on."

"You loved Hook at one point, real or not?" Regina asked.

Emma bit her lip. "Real."

Regina smiled gently as Emma took a step forward. "You've punched someone in the face on my behalf, real or not?"

"Not," Emma said. She groaned as Regina pointed backwards. "How did you even find out about that?"

"Your mother wasn't exactly quiet about it," Regina said, laughing. "Next question. Something happened to you in a foster home that still haunts you to this day, real or not?"

"Real," Emma said, wincing. "Very real."

"Two more questions," Regina promised. "Then you win."

"Bring it on," Emma challenged.

Regina laughed. "Only catch. You can't refuse to answer these last two."

"Uh oh," Emma said. "Okay. I'm ready."

"You love me, real or not?" Regina asked.

"Real," Emma said strongly. "Very very real."

Regina smiled as Emma came to stand right in front of her. "Look at you, almost done with the game."

"So what's my final question?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled before pulling a ring out of her pocket and getting down on one knee. "Final question. Will you marry me, real or not?"

"Real!" Emma exclaimed. "A thousand times real." Regina laughed before slipping the ring onto Emma's finger. She stood up and pulled her girlfriend, now fiancé, to her and kissed her passionately.

"You had that planned the whole time didn't you?" Emma asked.

"Duh," Regina said, laughing. "I will have you know though, Henry did come up with some of the questions."

"Of course he did," Emma said. She smiled before kissing Regina gently. "Best game ever."

 **So that was totally not the ending that I had planned, and then I was like, "duh, a proposal is a question". Hope that you enjoyed it!**


	80. Day 80: Worried For Nothing

**This chapter is for Bal09121994 with the prompt: "** **How about one where Emma is worried how Regina will react to her being pregnant but when Emma does tell Regina, Regina is very happy/excited and doesn't understand why Emma was worried about telling her?"**

Emma was fidgeting. She hardly ever fidgeted, and Regina noticed. Something was up. Regina glanced over as Emma fidgeted again. Reaching forward, she grabbed the remote on the coffee table before pausing the movie that they were watching.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Regina said. She looked at Emma knowingly.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't act all innocent," Regina scolded. "You're fidgeting. You never fidget. So what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma said quickly. "Nothing is going on."

"Okay," Regina said, dropping the subject. She pressed play on the remote, starting the movie up again. They finished the movie with no more fidgeting, and went to bed shortly after.

* * *

"That's it," Regina said a few hours later. Emma kept tossing and turning, waking Regina up every few minutes. It was becoming a problem.

"I'm sorry!" Emma said. "I just can't sleep."

"Or sit still," Regina said. "Why don't you just tell me what's going on? It would make things much easier."

"Nothing is going on," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes before sitting up. She smirked as Emma slowly rolled over to face her. "Why are you sitting up?" Emma asked.

"Tell me what's really going on, are I'll tickle you," Regina threatened.

"You wouldn't," Emma whispered.

"Oh I would," Regina said. "Now what's going on that's making you so restless? Clearly something is bothering you."

Emma bit her lip. "I don't know how to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see Regina's face when she delivered the news. "I'm pregnant."

"You're what?" Regina asked. She didn't sound upset or angry, just incredibly shocked.

"Pregnant," Emma said. "I'm assuming from magic."

Regina stared at Emma in shock before smiling and pulling Emma in for a tight hug. "This is wonderful!"

"It is?" Emma asked in surprise.

Regina pulled away from Emma and looked at her in confusion. "Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "I was just expecting a different reaction."

"What reaction were you expecting?" Regina asked. Emma bit her lip and looked away, not wanting to admit why she had been worried.

"Were you worried about my reaction?" Regina asked.

Emma slowly nodded. "I didn't know what to expect. We're only dating, and it's not like we discussed having a future together, or if our future together would even include kids. Plus I know that you don't like surprises, and this is probably the biggest surprise that you can get."

Regina smiled gently before grabbing Emma's hands. "I can promise you that I'm incredibly excited. I know that we never talked about a future, but I think it's pretty much implied that we're going to be together for quite some time now."

"I don't want you to feel like you're stuck with me," Emma said, pulling away from Regina.

Regina held on tighter to Emma's hands. "That's not what I meant. I love that you're pregnant with a child that is half me and half you. I won't be stuck with you, because I planned on staying with you anyway."

Emma smiled before leaning in to kiss Regina gently. "I'm glad that you're excited about this. Because it's going to be one heck of a ride."

"That it is," Regina said, smiling. "But I have no problem with that. We've defeated everything that this town has thrown at us. Raising a child can't be much harder."

"For you maybe," Emma said. "I've never raised a child. I just handled the pregnancy part."

"And I've only handled the child-raising part," Regina said. "Together, I'd say we make a pretty good team."

Emma laughed. "Okay, works for me. We've got this."

"See?" Regina asked. "You were worried for nothing."


	81. Day 81: Lola's Magic

**The Swan-Mills Family is here, Ava and all! This is after "Telling Ava", so Ava knows about magic. This might become one of the stories in the "Swan-Mills" universe, but for now it's an oneshot :) Enjoy!**

"Emma we have a very big problem!" Regina shouted, running into the living room.

"What wrong?" Emma asked. She stood up from her spot on the couch and crossed the room quickly to where Regina was.

"Lola," Regina said. "I can't find her!"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "I thought that you were reading to her."

Regina nodded. "I was! But I turned my back to get another book, and she was gone when I turned around! What do we do? Oh my goodness I lost out daughter. I'm a terrible mother."

"Calm down," Emma said soothingly. "She probably just thought that it would be funny to start a game of hide-and-seek. I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"But that's the thing," Regina said. "I've looked everywhere! I can't find her."

"Let's just check again," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's hand and they walked together to Lola's room.

* * *

"What's that smell?" Emma asked. It smelt like a mixture of vanilla and apples.

Regina's eyes widened. "No no no. This can't be happening. I really didn't want this to happen. Not so soon."

"You didn't want what to happen?" Emma asked. She reached over and rubbed Regina's back soothingly. Clearly something had caused her to panic.

"That smell," Regina said. "Lola made it."

"How would she have done that?" Emma asked.

"When you poof from one place to another, you leave a scent behind," Regina explained. "Mine is apples. Yours is vanilla."

"And since she's our child, her scent is a mixture of both," Emma said with wide eyes. "So Lola poofed?"

"Yes," Regina said. "She poofed. Which means that she used magic. She has magic, Emma. Do you know how powerful that she's going to be?"

"We both have magic," Emma said gently. "I'm sure that we can teach her to control it."

Regina ran her fingers through her hair. "So how do we find her?"

"Mom? Ma?" Ava called. "I think we have a problem."

Regina and Emma quickly walked to the foyer, both breathing a sigh of relief when they saw Ava holding hands with Lola. "Thank goodness," Regina said, scooping Lola up. "Don't you ever scare me like that ever again!"

"Sorry mommy," Lola said. "I just wanted to see Ava."

Emma could see that Regina was beginning to panic again, so she grabbed Lola and set her next to Ava. "Why don't you two go play for a little bit?"

"Mommy's mad?" Lola asked, looking down at her feet.

"No honey, not mad," Emma said quickly. "She'll be okay. Go play." Lola looked cautiously at Regina before Ava grabbed her hand, leading her upstairs.

"Emma she's 5," Regina said. "She shouldn't already be able to poof!"

"She's the product of true love," Emma said. "Of course she's able to poof already."

"Magic is hard to control when you're an adult," Regina argued. "Can you imagine what it's going to be like for a child?"

"Relax," Emma said. "We can handle this. Besides, we have magic of our own."

"Do you think that we could make a cuff like the one that Greg put on me? To take away her magic until she's older?" Regina asked.

"Regina Swan-Mills," Emma scolded. "We are not going to take away our daughter's magic because it's unpredictable."

Regina sighed. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

"She already knows about magic," Emma said. "I'm sure that it will be easy for us to teach her how to control it."

"Don't you remember how I taught you?" Regina asked. "You can't do that to a child."

"No, you can't," Emma agreed. "But I think it's pretty simple to see that her magic works like mine."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"She told us that she wanted to see Ava. So she probably visualized herself with Ava at school, and she poofed there by accident," Emma said.

"That helps you," Regina argued. "But how am I supposed to help her? All I know is how to use magic with anger. I can't teach our daughter dark magic!"

"You've been getting better," Emma countered. "Why don't you learn at the same time that Lola does?"

"But I already know how to use magic," Regina said in confusion.

"I'll teach you how to use magic without having to go dark," Emma said. "You'll learn how to use light magic, and Lola will learn how to control hers."

Regina bit her lip and thought about it. It actually was a good plan. "Okay. Let's do it."

"And who knows," Emma said. "Maybe teaching her magic will be like some crazy family bonding activity."

"Except our other two children don't have magic," Regina pointed out.

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "Details."


	82. Day 82: Magic Can't Fix Everything

Emma sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office, fidgeting nonstop. Normally doctor visits didn't stress her out, but she had a bad feeling in her gut about today. And her gut was never wrong.

Finally, Regina walked out to the waiting room. Emma stood up and walked quickly over to her, trying to read her face to gain an idea of what had happened.

"Let's go home," Regina said. Emma's stomach dropped at the tone of her voice. Regina sounded tired. Defeated. That couldn't be good.

"So what happened?" Emma asked as they walked out to the car.

A small smiled tugged at the edge of Regina's lips. "We need to work on your patience level."

Emma rolled her eyes before tugging on Regina's sleeve. "C'mon. I was sitting out there for a long time. Something had to have happened."

"How do you know that it wasn't just a normal visit?" Regina asked, getting into the car.

"Because you're refusing to answer my question," Emma said simply. "If it was a normal visit, I wouldn't have a bad feeling right now, and you would have answered my question already."

Regina sighed. "Sometimes it's a pain in the butt that you know me so well."

Emma laughed before starting the car. "Which means that you also know that if you don't tell me what happened, I'm just going to continue to bug you about it."

Regina smiled. "Good point."

"So?" Emma asked. "What did the doctor say?"

Regina's smile disappeared as tears gathered in her eyes. "I have pancreatic cancer."

Emma slammed on the brakes. "Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "What in the hell are you doing?" Emma didn't answer. She was staring straight ahead, clenching the steering wheel in a death-like grip. Pancreatic cancer. She could lose Regina. They had defeated so many monsters and villains, and yet cancer could be the thing to defeat them both.

"Emma," Regina said softly. "We're not that far from the house. Just drive home and then we can really talk about it."

Several beats passed before Emma slightly nodded. She took a deep breath and drove the rest of the way home. After they pulled in the driveway and shut off the car, they sat in silence.

"We should go inside," Regina suggested. Emma nodded. Neither woman moved. They had no idea what to do.

"Chemotherapy is supposed to get rid of cancer, right?" Emma asked.

Regina winced. Emma looked so hopeful, and she didn't want to ruin that. "It's too late. I have Stage 3, and it's spread too far for it to be removed by surgery. Chemo will do nothing but shrink it, not cure it. It wouldn't be worth it."

"So we just sit here and wait for you to die?" Emma asked.

Regina bit her lip and nodded. "There's nothing that anyone can do."

"What about magic?" Emma asked, perking up. "True Love fixes everything else, why couldn't it fix this?"

Regina shook her head sadly. "Magic can't fix everything."

"But it can," Emma said, tears beginning to fall. "It can. I know it can." Regina shook her head as tears began to spill from her eyes too. She reached forward and hugged Emma tightly, and they sat in the bug together, weeping for something that magic couldn't fix.

* * *

Emma walked slowly to Regina's grave, delicately placing a rose by her headstone. It had been a year since she had lost the love of her life, and it still hurt her as much as it had before.

Even though Regina had insisted that magic wouldn't cure her cancer, Emma had tried anyway. It didn't work, but Emma kept trying. Every day.

The doctors made Regina as comfortable as they could until her final days, and Emma had never left her side. Neither had Henry.

Emma reached out and traced Regina's name on her headstone. "You were right," she said softly. "Not that you wouldn't be. You were always right."

Bringing her hand to her mouth, Emma kissed her fingers before pressing her hand back on Regina's headstone. "Magic can't fix everything. Especially broken hearts."

 **There was a point in writing this chapter where I actually had to take a break to keep myself from crying. I think people underestimate how attached that writer's get to the characters that they write with. But, I felt like I needed to write another angst chapter, and it was Regina's turn to die since I already did Emma and Henry. Until tomorrow, my lovely readers!**


	83. Day 83: Bang Bang

**This chapter is written for amywood.581 with the prompt: "Maybe one where Emma catches Regina dancing to a song that she said she hated or something similar?" This is some fluff to follow yesterday :)**

Emma was thankful to her father for volunteering to take the afternoon shift at the station. She had been working there nonstop ever since Neal was born, and it was starting to get on Emma's nerves. She had a family of her own to get home to.

Pulling into the driveway of the mansion that she now proudly called home, Emma smiled to herself before getting out of her bug. Regina thought that Emma was going to be at work until the night shift, and had no idea that Emma was currently home.

Emma quietly opened the front door and peeked inside. Thank goodness that she had her own key, or this surprise wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Looking around, Emma smiled when she didn't see Regina anywhere. She thought that she heard a noise coming from the kitchen, so she entered the house and shut the front door softly behind her.

Creeping as silently as possible, Emma headed towards the noise. She stopped in surprise when she heard what song was playing. Regina hated this song.

Emma crept to the entrance to the kitchen and hesitantly peeked around the corner. She quickly covered her mouth to keep from laughing and ruining the moment.

Regina was baking, which wasn't out of the ordinary. But she was also dancing. And singing. To a song that she had once told Emma that she absolutely hated.

Emma watched in amazement as her girlfriend, her very sexy girlfriend, danced around the kitchen while her cookies were baking in the oven.

Emma was going to make her presence known, and then Regina started rapping.

 _It's Myx Moscato_

 _It's friends in the bottle_

 _It's Nicki full throttle_

 _It's all, all_

 _Swimming in the grotto_

 _We winning in the lotto_

 _We dipping in the pot of blue pho-to_

 _Kidding so good_

 _This drippin' on wood_

 _Get a ride in the engine that could go_

 _Batman Robin it bang, bang, cocking it_

 _Queen Nicki dominate, prominate_

 _It's me, Jessie, and Ari_

 _If they test me they sorry_

 _Riders umph like Harley_

 _Then pull off in this Ferrari_

 _If he hangin' we bangin'_

 _Phone rangin', he slangin'_

 _It ain't karaoke night but get the mic 'cause I'm singing_

Emma's jaw dropped. You had to have listened to this song a million times to be able to rap that. And Regina had just done it perfectly.

Spinning around, Regina froze as she saw Emma. "You're home."

"I got off early," Emma said. She was staring at Regina with wide eyes, still utterly amazed at what she had just seen and heard.

"How much of that were you here for?" Regina asked.

"A little before the rapping part I started watching," Emma said. "You have good dance moves."

Regina laughed. "Thanks."

"I thought that you hated that song," Emma teased, leaning against the doorframe.

Regina blushed. "I may have just said that to keep Henry from listening to it."

Emma burst out laughing. "I can't believe that you keep this hidden from him. Do you know how awesome that he would think you are if you rapped like that in front of him?"

"There's a reason I do it when no one's around," Regina said. "Queen's don't rap. It's very unladylike."

"Yeah but you rock at it," Emma said, smirking.

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately before walking to the oven the check on her cookies. "C'mon," Emma pleaded. "At least do it for me when we're home alone."

Regina chuckled. "You really enjoyed that didn't you?"

"You have no idea," Emma said. "It was incredibly sexy."

Regina looked up at the clock. "We have a ten minutes before Henry comes home."

Emma ran over to the iPod on the counter before re-choosing "Bang Bang" on Regina's playlist. "Ten minutes is perfect."

 **So now I have a huge desire to see Lana rapping. That would be amazing.**


	84. Day 84: Disney World

**A friend of mine just went to Disneyland Paris, so I thought that this would be fun. Swan-Mills family fluff!**

"I can't believe that we're actually doing this," Regina said.

Emma smiled. "It's our last chance to have a vacation together before Henry goes off to college. He got to pick where we went."

Regina gestured to their surroundings. "And Disney World was a good idea? As basically a Disney character myself, I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"Shh," Ava said. "Someone might hear you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "No one is going to care. I doubt anyone would even believe me if we told the truth."

"True," Emma said. "But still. Don't ruin the magic."

"What magic?" Regina asked. "None of these people are even the actual movie characters."

"That's not the point," Ava said. "I honestly want to see you get your picture taken with the Evil Queen and Snow White."

"Absolutely not," Regina said. "Not happening."

"Want to bet?" Ava challenged. "I'll send Lola after you."

"You wouldn't," Regina said. Everyone knew that Regina had the hardest time saying no to Lola. She blamed it on the fact that Lola had Emma's eyes.

"Yeah she would," Emma said, smirking at Ava.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, walking up to them. Lola hung onto his back, smiling happily with a little Minnie Mouse hat on.

"Ava just put in a request for me to take a picture with the Evil Queen and Snow White," Regina said.

Henry burst out laughing. "That would be fantastic."

"Yeah!" Lola agreed. "You have to do it mommy!"

"Oh, now I'm being ganged up on," Regina said, pouting. "That's really not fair."

Emma smiled and grabbed Regina's hand. "I'll be in the pictures with you."

* * *

"I can't believe that we actually did that," Regina said.

"Okay, faking to rip out Snow White's heart probably wasn't what she was expecting," Henry said, laughing.

Ava rolled her eyes. "We can't take you anywhere."

"Nope," Regina said, grabbing Lola's hand. "Take this as a lesson. Never force me to do anything."

"I can force you to do stuff," Lola said. "I just have to use my puppy-dog eyes. That's what ma told me to do."

Henry and Ava laughed as Regina glared at Emma. "Sorry," Emma said sheepishly.

"Can we meet Peter Pan?" Lola asked.

Regina, Henry, and Emma winced. Peter Pan was not someone that they ever wanted to encounter again. "I don't think so," Emma said.

"But Neverland looks awesome," Ava said. "Why wouldn't you want to live in a place that you never grow old?"

"It's not at all like the movie," Henry said.

"You've been to Neverland?" Lola asked in excitement. "Why would you want to come back?"

"Not everything is like the movies, remember?" Regina said, sensing Henry's discomfort. "I'm not anything like the Evil Queen in the movie right?"

"Well you did poison Snow," Lola said. "So that was accurate."

Regina winced. "Okay, that part was true. But not a lot of it was."

"The point is," Emma said. "Not everything in the movies is accurate. Including how Neverland is shown."

"So Neverland isn't a nice place?" Ava asked.

"Not at all," Henry said, shuddering.

"So no Peter Pan?" Lola asked.

"No Peter Pan," Emma said. "But we can visit other people."

Lola's face lit up as she saw Belle and the Beast. "Let's go over there!"

Regina and Emma shared a glance. "I think pretty much every character here is going to be different," Emma said. "We'll explain it later."

* * *

Snow burst out laughing at seeing the picture that Emma had sent her. Emma was standing nicely next to "Snow" but Regina had a smirk on her face, and was reaching out as if to grab the princess's heart. The poor girl looked terrified.

"What are you laughing at?" David asked, walking up behind Snow.

Snow laughed again before pointing at the computer screen. David looked and burst out laughing. "Only Regina."

"Only Regina is right," Snow said. She smiled at the picture. "I can't believe that they're married."

"Her and Emma?" David asked. "I thought that you were okay with it?"

"Oh I am," Snow said quickly. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" David asked.

"I just find it ironic that the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming is married to the former Evil Queen," Snow said, laughing.

David smiled. "It is a little ironic. Our family tree is weird."

"True that," Snow agreed. She looked back at her screen and went to the next picture. All of the family was gathered with Mickey and Minnie, each of them wearing either Mickey or Minnie ears.

"They look so happy," David said. "They have a pretty special family."

"That they do," Snow said. "I haven't seen Regina smile like that since Daniel."

"And I don't think I've ever seen Emma smile like that except for when she's around Regina," David said. "They're good for each other."

"They are," Snow agreed. "I'm glad that they found each other."

"So am I," David said. "So am I."


	85. Day 85: Sleeping Curse Part 1

**Flashback is in italic.**

" _This place is creepy," Emma said, looking around Regina's crypt._

" _Considering it was made when I was more in an Evil Queen mindset, it was meant to be creepy," Regina said. "Creepy keeps people away."_

" _Not everybody," Emma said with a wink._

 _Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "You're an exception."_

" _What's this?" Emma asked, picking up an object. It was a needle in a vial, but clearly it had some other kind of purpose._

" _Don't touch that!" Regina exclaimed, quickly grabbing the vial._

" _What is it?" Emma asked. "And why's it so dangerous to touch?"_

" _This needle has a sleeping curse on it," Regina explained. "I put the needle in the vial so I had someplace to put it that I wouldn't accidentally prick myself."_

" _Sleeping curse huh?" Emma asked._

" _Don't even think about it," Regina scolded. "This is a last resort kind of thing. Now close your eyes while I hide it."_

* * *

Emma walked down the stairs to Regina's crypt. Henry was at school and Regina was at work, so she didn't have to worry about them. Her parents probably didn't even care where she was, so her only problem was Hook. She'd told him that she would meet him for lunch, but clearly didn't plan on it.

If only things hadn't come to this. Everything had been fine, but then Hook had started to come onto her. Her parents looked so excited that she would finally get her happy ending, that she didn't have the heart to tell them that she wasn't in love with Hook.

She was in love with Regina Mills.

Emma had freaked out when she had realized her feelings for the brunette who had slowly become her best friend. But then she realized that it made sense. They spent so much time together, and they even shared a son. They were basically in a relationship.

But Emma didn't know if Regina felt the same way, and she didn't want to ruin their friendship by making a move. Now that Hook was making a move on her, Emma felt that she needed to take action. She had a strong feeling that she knew who her True Love was. And she was about to prove it to everyone.

Back when Emma had found the needle with the sleeping curse on it, she hadn't really closed her eyes when Regina had hidden it from her. She knew that there might be a time when it would come in handy.

Emma walked straight to the room full of beating hearts. This room creeped her out more than anything, which was probably why Regina had hidden it here. Shuddering, Emma pulled out the box that was meant for her mother's heart. Opening it, Emma smiled at the vial inside before pulling it out. She took the cap off of the vial and took out the needle. Taking a deep breath, she pricked her finger.

After a few seconds, Emma Swan collapsed to the floor, fast asleep.

* * *

Regina looked up as the door to her office slammed open. "Do you normally come barging into rooms like this?"

"Only right now," Hook said, panting. "I need your help."

"Me? Help you?" Regina asked.

"It's for Emma," Hook said. "She was supposed to have lunch with me, but she never showed. Now I can't find her."

"You sure that she isn't just avoiding you?" Regina asked, smirking. She was secretly delighted that Emma hadn't showed for her date with Hook. Maybe that could give her a chance.

"I've looked everywhere," Hook said. "Snow and David are walking around town searching for her. But you seem to know her the best, so I thought that I'd ask for your help."

Regina jumped as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"You need to come to your crypt right away," Snow said. "We found Emma."

* * *

"Why were you even searching here?" Regina asked, walking into the crypt.

"She spends so much time with you, and this is a great hiding place," David said. "It just seemed to make sense."

Regina gasped as she saw Emma lying on the floor. "How did this happen?"

Snow held up a needle. "We found this next to her. I'm guessing that it had a sleeping curse on it?"

"It did," Regina agreed. "I don't know how she found it. I hid it in here."

"Well she found it," Hook said. "So what do we do?"

"True Love's kiss," Snow said, smiling at Hook. "It's the only thing that breaks a sleeping curse."

David nodded before moving out of the way so that Hook could reach Emma. Hook walked over and knelt down at Emma's side. Leaning down, he gently pressed his lips against Emma's.

Pulling away, Hook looked hopefully at Emma. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Hook asked, looking at Snow and David.

"You're not her True Love," Snow whispered. "How are you not her True Love?"

"She loves someone else," David said, looking at Regina. "Someone who _is_ her True Love."

Regina's eyes widened. "You're joking, right? I'm not Emma's True Love!"

"Only one way to find out," Hook said, standing up. He gestured to Emma. "Your turn Your Majesty."

 **Cliffhanger :) See you tomorrow!**


	86. Day 86: Sleeping Curse Part 2

Regina stood frozen, staring at the sleeping form of the woman that she had grown to love. "This can't be possible."

"Why not?" David asked.

"She loves him," Regina said, pointing at Hook.

"You and I both know that's not true," Hook said. "She's been avoiding me, and my kiss would have woken her up."

Regina turned to Snow. "I'm assuming that you're not happy about this?"

"Just wake her up," Snow said. "We can talk about what I like and dislike when she's awake and we can ask her what she was thinking."

Regina took a deep breath before crouching down to where Emma lay. She reached out and delicately tucked some of Emma's hair behind her ear. "Don't leave me."

Leaning down, Regina kissed Emma gently. She felt love and magic fill the air, and pulled away.

Emma gasped awake, smiling as soon as she saw that it was Regina by her side. "I knew that it was you."

"You did this because of me?" Regina asked.

"I had to show everyone that you were my True Love," Emma explained. "I figured this would be the best way to get their attention."

"That's a little risky," Regina said.

"But worth it," Emma said, smiling at Regina.

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed. She quickly dropped to the floor and pulled Emma into a tight embrace. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"I'm fine," Emma said. "No need for the death hug."

"What were you thinking?" Snow asked. "You could have stayed like that forever if we hadn't found you."

"I knew that you would," Emma said. "I needed to do this. I needed you guys to see who my True Love is, and let me take control of my own love life."

Snow pulled away from her. "But Hook-"

"Is a great guy," Emma interrupted. "But he's not my True Love. And he's not who I love."

Hook cleared his throat and stepped forward before offering a hand to Emma. She looked at him skeptically before grabbing his hand and being pulled to her feet.

Then he turned to Regina and offered her his hand. Regina hesitantly reached out and grabbed it, and he helped her to her feet as well.

"As long as you're happy," he said, turning back to Emma. "I'll be able to be happy."

"Thank you," Emma said, pulling him in for a hug.

Hook smiled before gently pulling out of Emma's embrace. He turned to Regina and looked at her seriously. "Take care of her."

"You know I will," Regina said, smiling at him. He smiled back, nodded to Snow and David, and left the crypt.

"I can't believe what just happened," Snow whispered. "Everything just fell apart."

"No it didn't," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand. "It just got a whole lot better."

"How is this better?" Snow asked. "Your True Love is the Evil Queen! The woman who cursed us all and tried to kill me. Multiple times."

"Former Evil Queen," Emma corrected.

"Not the point," Snow said.

"Why don't we just all calm down and go home?" David suggested. "We can deal with this another time."

Emma looked at Regina, who smiled gently and squeezed Emma's hand. "Go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Emma laid on her bed and tried to ignore the argument between her parents. David understood what had happened, and agreed with Emma that True Love was not something to mess with. If Regina was Emma's True Love, then they deserved to be together.

But Snow insisted that Emma was supposed to be with Hook, and that Regina was not who Emma was supposed to be with. Clearly both Emma and David disagreed with that one.

Sighing, Emma rolled over and closed her eyes. She hoped to get some sleep. Then again, she had heard about the burning room nightmares and all that it entailed. Maybe she didn't want to go to sleep after all. Sitting up, Emma grabbed the newspaper next to her bed and began to read.

* * *

Regina walked into the Sheriff station the next morning, and looked in concern at Emma. She clearly hadn't slept well the night before, considering her head kept bobbing closer and closer to her desk.

"Didn't sleep well?" Regina asked, leaning casually up against Emma's desk.

"Try not at all," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "Snow and David were arguing the entire night."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "That's not why you didn't sleep. You're not a light sleeper."

Emma smiled. "Touché."

"So what's up?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I remember everyone talking about the burning room after the sleeping curse. It sounds awful."

"So you're trying to avoid it," Regina said.

"Yeah," Emma mumbled.

Regina smiled gently before reaching out and grasping Emma's chin, forcing her to look up. "You can't just avoid sleeping."

"Yes I can," Emma said stubbornly. "It's better than being stuck in a burning room."

"Just try sleeping," Regina said. "I'll be a phone call away if you need anything."

* * *

Snow and David jolted awake as they heard a scream from upstairs. "What was that?" Snow asked.

"Emma," David said, throwing off the covers. Snow followed him as he quickly climbed up to the loft.

Emma sat in her bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. She was panting and shaking, and it was obvious that she was crying.

"Emma?" David said gently, sitting on the edge of her bed. When she didn't respond, he reached out gently to grab her hand.

Emma whimpered and pulled away from him, curling in on herself. "Regina," she said. "Get me Regina."

David looked at Snow, who nodded. David smiled at her before running downstairs and picking up his phone.

"Please pick up, please pick up," David pleaded. He sighed in relief when Regina's voice came through the phone.

"What in the hell are you calling me for at this hour?" Regina snapped.

"It's Emma," David said. "I think that she just encountered the burning room. She's asking for you."

"I'll be there soon," Regina said. David was about to thank her when he heard the dial tone. Regina had hung up on him.

* * *

Snow was trying everything to calm Emma down, but it wasn't working. She had heard David talking to Regina, but Regina might not arrive in time. Emma looked close to passing out.

Finally, a cloud of purple smoke revealed Regina. "Thank goodness," Snow said, standing up quickly. "She looks like she's going to pass out from hyperventilating."

Regina ignored Snow and went to sit on the bed in front of Emma, closer than David and Snow had dared to go. "Emma? It's me."

"Regina?" Emma whimpered.

"Yes," Regina said, sighing in relief. "It's me." She smiled as Emma looked at her. She reached out and grabbed Emma's hand. Feeling the contact, Emma immediately relaxed.

"I don't like the burning room," Emma mumbled.

"I know dear, I know," Regina said soothingly. She pulled Emma close to her in a tight embrace and ran her hand up and down Emma's back.

Snow watched the exchange with wide-eyes. She could see it now. "You really are True Loves."

"Yes we are," Regina said, not stopping her soothing movements. "Glad to see that you've finally realized that."

Snow hesitantly sat on Emma's bed next to Regina. "Thank you."

"For what?" Regina asked.

"For making Emma happy," Snow said. "She only really seems happy when she's around you. I was just too blind to see it."

Regina smirked at her. "Glad that we can finally agree on something."

Snow rolled her eyes. "You couldn't resist could you?"

Regina chuckled before shaking her head. "I suppose I owe you a thank you as well."

"What for?" Snow asked.

Regina looked down at Emma, who had fallen into an exhausted sleep. "For giving me the greatest gift of all. My True Love."


	87. Day 87: Brown Eyes

**I'm so sorry you guys; this site is having some issues with posting chapters. If you notice that it says 87 chapters, but is only letting you read 86, PLEASE pm me and let me know so that I can fix it. I literally checked it before I went to bed, and ended up reposting it at midnight because I couldn't sleep without it being posted. Anyway. Enjoy today's chapter!**

"Regina!" Emma called. "We have to get going!"

Regina groaned before walking down the stairs to meet Emma in the foyer. "Do I have to go? I can guarantee that my eyesight hasn't changed since my last appointment."

"You're supposed to get examined once every year," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand. "Everybody does it."

"So?" Regina asked stubbornly.

Emma chuckled before dragging Regina out of the front door. "You'll be fine."

"I hate eye drops," Regina whined. "Forcing someone's pupils to stay dilated is not natural! And it lasts so long!"

Emma smiled before squeezing Regina's hand gently. "I'll be by you the entire time. And I'll be there to help you afterwards."

"I still don't want to go," Regina mumbled. She huffed dramatically before climbing into Emma's bug.

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "Drama queen."

* * *

Regina squirmed in her seat. "Do you think they would notice if I just left right now? We've done almost everything anyway."

"Except for dilating your eyes," Emma said.

"Not important," Regina said, starting to get up from her seat. Emma stood up and grabbed her arm, pushing her gently back into the chair.

"Emma," Regina whined.

"Stop being so dramatic," Emma said, laughing. "It's just a drop in each eye."

"A drop of something that unnaturally makes my pupils grow larger and stay that way for a long time," Regina argued. "You don't know what they put in it!"

"Atropine," a voice said. "It's not toxic unless you swallow it, and I doubt that you're going to do that."

Emma and Regina looked in surprise towards the doorway, where a man stood with a kind smile on his face. "Doctor Warren," he said, walking into the room. He held out his hand for Regina to shake.

Regina hesitantly extended her hand and shook the one offered to her. Doctor Warren smiled again. "Not a huge fan of eye doctors?"

"You have no idea," Emma mumbled, earning her a glare from Regina.

Doctor Warren chuckled. "You're not alone. I'll try and make this as easy as possible. Now just tip your head back for me."

* * *

Regina winced as she walked outside with Emma. "Curse the sun."

Emma laughed and guided Regina back to the bug. "But hey, you survived another eye appointment. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"You want me to answer that honestly?" Regina asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "It wasn't as bad as you made it out to be. Like you do every year."

"And every year, it never gets better," Regina countered. "I'm waiting for the doctors to just develop laser vision so the drops aren't necessary."

Emma burst out laughing. "You may be waiting awhile for that."

Regina shrugged before closing her eyes to block out the sunlight. "Better than having to go through this sensitivity to light."

"It shouldn't last very long," Emma said. "We'll just set you up in a room with all of the lights off and the curtains closed."

"The one time I'm actually thankful for darkness," Regina said. "How ironic."

Emma laughed. "Darkness isn't always a bad thing."

"Except for when you have dark brown eyes," Regina said in annoyance. "Then the drops work even longer."

Emma smiled sympathetically at Regina before pulling into the driveway. She shut off the bug and got out, coming around to Regina's side to help her navigate her way inside with the brightness of the sun.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Regina teased.

Emma chuckled. "I'm the Savior. It's basically a requirement."

Regina smiled and kissed Emma's cheek. "Thank you for coming with me today."

"Of course," Emma said. "Now let's go get you set up in a dark room."

 **Funny story. I actually wrote this chapter today while my eyes were dilated. They still are. Best part? I have dark brown eyes, and can speak from experience when I say that dark brown eyes stay dilated for a REALLY long time. Hope that you enjoyed the chapter!**


	88. Day 88: By Your Side

Emma paced around the forest. She had hurt Henry. Her son. He was going to hate her now, that much she was sure of. Not only had she hurt Henry, she had also hurt David when she destroyed part of the sheriff's station.

"What kind of monster am I?" Emma asked herself. She panicked as she felt her fingertips begin to tingle, indicating that her magic was about to act up again.

"Emma," Regina called. She walked slowly into the clearing, holding her hands slightly up in surrender.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, quickly backing away. "Stay back! I've already hurt enough people that I love."

"I know," Regina said soothingly. She ignored Emma's request and continued to walk forward.

"Then why are you still coming closer?" Emma asked. She felt the tingling in her hands grow stronger, and panicked. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm not just going to leave you in the forest," Regina said.

"And I'm not going to let you get hurt," Emma said. She clenched her hands tightly, leaving fingernail marks on her palms.

"You just need to calm down," Regina said. "Your emotions are just making it worse."

"How did you even find me?" Emma asked.

"Henry told me what happened and where you were," Regina explained. "I poofed here as quickly as I could."

"Why would you want to help me?" Emma asked, stepping away. "I'm a monster."

"You are not a monster," Regina scolded.

"I hurt our son and my father," Emma argued.

"Your magic hurt our son and your father," Regina countered. "Your magic is just unpredictable right now, that's all."

Emma held out her hands towards Regina. "Can't you just take it from me?"

"No," Regina said. "I don't have that capability, and taking someone's magic usually results in death."

Emma shrugged. "That would work for me. As long as it's gone."

"That's not even remotely funny," Regina said, glaring at Emma. "I am not going to lose you just because your magic is uncontrolled right now."

"I can't do this," Emma said, staring at her sparking hands in defeat.

"Yes you can," Regina said. She knew that if she walked forward, Emma would just back away. So she poofed herself right in front of Emma.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked. Regina was too close. Emma was going to hurt her if she got any closer, and that couldn't happen.

Emma looked down at her hands as the tingling got stronger, and panicked when she saw the white sparks growing brighter.

"Emma, look at me," Regina commanded. Emma looked at her, and Regina almost gasped at the utter look of terror in Emma's eyes. Emma wasn't scared of the magic itself. She was scared of herself.

"Panicking is just making it worse," Regina said. "You need to calm down."

"Just back up," Emma pleaded. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're not going to hurt me," Regina said. "You're going to calm down and get your magic back under control."

"I can't," Emma said.

"Yes you can," Regina said. "You magic is a part of you. Take a deep breath, calm down, and accept the magic. Everything is going to be fine."

Emma looked into Regina's eyes, and saw that everything could be fine. She just had to calm herself down.

Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She thought of her parents, and how amazing it was that True Love had given her magic. Magic could be useful, and could even help her save people.

Regina smiled as the sparks on Emma's fingertips died away. "You did it."

"I did?" Emma asked. She looked down at her hands and smiled at the lack of tingling and sparks.

"You did," Regina confirmed. She reached out and grabbed Emma's hand.

Emma felt panic flare up in her again. "Touching me probably isn't safe."

Regina smiled gently and squeezed Emma's hand. "I'm not hurt."

"You're not," Emma said softly. "You're not hurt."

"Magic is a part of you," Regina said. "You just have to embrace it. Which you did now."

"I guess I did," Emma said, still staring at Regina. She looked like she was waiting for Regina to suddenly burst into flame from holding her hand.

"Now you just need to trust yourself," Regina said, noticing the look. "You're not going to hurt me, I promise."

Emma nodded. "It does feel nice to have my magic under control."

Regina smiled. "Now let's go home. Henry is worried about you. So are Snow and David."

"They don't hate me?" Emma asked. "I hurt Henry, and I could have killed David! Plus Snow clearly doesn't trust me anymore."

"They could never hate you," Regina said. "They're your family. And while they may not understand everything that you're going through right now, they will always love you."

"How can you be sure?" Emma asked.

"I'm not," Regina admitted. "But no matter what, I'll always be by your side."

"Always?" Emma asked.

"Always," Regina confirmed, kissing her gently. "Now let's go home."


	89. Day 89: Little Too Friendly

**This chapter is for wicked73 with the prompt: "Emma and Regina go out for a nite on the town and the waitress is a little to friendly to Emma and Regina takes action."**

"Where are we going?" Emma asked, allowing herself to be pulled along by Regina.

"Well I did tell you that I wanted for us to have a date night," Regina said. "And if we have a date in town, people always stare."

"They stare because you're gorgeous," Emma said, nudging Regina slightly.

Regina laughed. "Or they're staring because the Evil Queen is dating the Savior. Little ironic, don't you think?"

"Maybe," Emma said, shrugging. "I don't have any problems with it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I would hope not."

Emma laughed. "So, where are we going? You never answered my question."

"There," Regina said, pointing to a restaurant across the street.

Emma's jaw dropped. "That's one of the most expensive places in Boston. How did you even get a reservation there?"

"You actually want to know?" Regina teased.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

Regina laughed. "Nothing. Just a little magic that cleared a spot on their list."

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. Regina smirked at her, and she couldn't help but start laughing. She supposed that magic did have good uses after all. Well, good for them at least.

"Come on," Regina said. "I'm hungry, and they'll get rid of our reservation if we're too late."

* * *

"Good evening," the waitress said, coming up to their table. "My name is Sophie, and I'll be taking care of you this evening." She looked over at Emma before winking.

Regina glared at Sophie before clearing her throat. "I'll just have a water, thank you."

"Oh right," Sophie said. "My bad. Got a little distracted." She smirked at Emma. "Anything for you to drink?"

"Just a water as well," Emma said.

"Okay, I'll be right back with those," Sophie said before leaving.

Emma chuckled at Regina. "If you keep glaring at her like that, she's going to burst into flame."

"Good," Regina mumbled. "I wish we had magic here."

"Somebody jealous?" Emma asked, smirking at Regina knowingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina scoffed.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then why do you look like you're plotting her murder?"

"She's just a little too friendly is all," Regina said. "I don't think that it's entirely appropriate to be flirting when you're supposed to be working."

"You're so jealous," Emma said, chuckling.

Regina rolled her eyes and was about to respond when Sophie came back to the table with two glasses of water. She placed Emma's in front of her before smirking. "Tall drink of water," she said, winking at Emma again.

"That's it," Regina growled. "We are on a date, and I would appreciate it if you would cease flirting with my girlfriend."

Sophie looked at her with wide eyes. "I..um...sorry. I didn't realize that you two were-"

Regina waved her hand dismissively, interrupting Sophie. "Thank you for your service with the water, but I think that we will require a different server."

Sophie nodded before hurrying off. Once she was out of sight, Emma burst out laughing. "That was fantastic."

Regina smiled. "The Evil Queen may have come out a little bit."

"Yeah she did," Emma said. "And it was sexy."

Regina chuckled. "I honestly don't feel bad about any of that."

Emma smiled before taking a drink of water. "You know, this actually is pretty good water."

Regina rolled her eyes before crumpling up a napkin and throwing it at Emma. It bounced lightly off of her face before landing on the table.

A couple moments later, a man came up to their table. "My name is Cody and I'll be your waiter this evening." He kept his eyes down onto his notepad, not making eye contact with either of them.

Emma looked past Cody and saw the whole management of the restaurant, Sophie included, watching with bated breath. Cody had clearly drawn the short straw.

"Nice to meet you," Emma said. She chuckled as the management visibly relaxed and went back to their jobs. "I think that we're ready to order now if that's okay."

Date nights with Regina certainly were never dull.


	90. Day 90: Girly Girl

**This chapter is for LittlePenguin93 with the prompt: "maybe one where everyone keeps putting it on Emma to be the "man" in the relationship that when she does something "feminine" like maybe she makes a baby blanket for ruby and Dorothy and Regina is given credit she gets pissed and yells about how Regina's not the only girl in their relationship. Regina goes after her and tells her all the amazing things Emma does that show what a beautiful woman she is. I'd also throw in Regina asking why it's such a big deal for her to be girly maybe tie it into a foster home who drilled lady like behavior into her or something."**

 **Whew. This prompt has a lot to it. Let's see how I do!**

Emma sat in the living room, running her fingers over her old baby blanket. She should probably have gotten rid of it years ago, but she couldn't find a reason to.

Studying it closely, Emma took notes on the way that Granny had made the blanket. She could do it, no problem. Maybe making a baby blanket for Neal would make her parents trust her again after everything with the Snow Queen and Emma herself hurting David.

Grabbing her supplies, Emma got everything ready. She decided to use the same kind of material that Granny had, except Neal's name would be in dark blue instead of purple. Smiling to herself, Emma got to work.

She had a baby blanket to make.

* * *

"Emma," Snow said in surprise, opening the door to the apartment. "What are you doing here?"

Emma winced. "Sorry. I can go if you want."

"No that's not what I meant," Snow said quickly, pulling Emma inside. "I just meant that since you live with Regina now, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I come bearing a peace offering," Emma said, holding up her bag.

Snow's face visibly lit up. "A present? For who?"

"Neal," Emma said. She handed the bag to Snow, who quickly reached in and pulled out the blanket.

"Oh my goodness," Snow said. "This looks exactly like your baby blanket. How did Regina know?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked in confusion.

"Didn't Regina make this?" Snow asked.

"No," Emma said. "I did."

"Oh!" Snow said. "I'm sorry. You said peace offering, so I just assumed that it was from her. Plus I just figured that you wouldn't want to do girly things like making blankets or anything."

"Why wouldn't I want to do anything girly?" Emma asked defensively.

"You're just not very girly," Snow explained.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "So I can't make a blanket because I'm not girly enough. Is that it?"

"No, not at all," Snow said. "I think maybe we should try this conversation over."

"No need," Emma said. She turned and opened the door to the apartment. "I hope that Neal likes the blanket."

* * *

 _Sit up straight. Fix your dress. For goodness sakes Emma, at least try and act like a lady!_

Emma dug her nails into her palms. Letting people down, that was what she was the best at. All of that time that she had been trained to be a lady, and she had to go and ruin it.

 _Dresses are what ladies wear. Go change this instant._

Emma looked down at her usual outfit. Jeans, boots, t-shirt, and red leather jacket. So very ladylike. Shaking her head, Emma went to walk into the forest.

"Emma!" Regina called. She walked as fast as she could to where Emma stood, quickly grabbing her arm.

"I was just going to go for a walk," Emma said. "I'll see you at home later."

Regina tightened her grip as Emma went to pull away. "Your mother called me and told me about what happened."

Emma winced. "Of course she did."

"It's not that big of a deal," Regina assured her. "You don't have to be girly to be able to make a blanket. And you don't have to be girly."

"Yes I do," Emma argued.

"Why?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. "One of my foster mothers was big on being a lady. She trained me about how to be a complete lady, from everything that you wear to how you eat your food. Not being girly enough feels like I'm letting her down."

"You don't need to be girly," Regina said. She held up her hand, as Emma looked ready to argue. "There is way more to being a lady than just dressing up in fancy clothes."

"Oh yeah?" Emma challenged. "And what might that be?"

"You have to always keep your composure," Regina said. "No matter what you're feeling. You do that on a daily basis. It takes self-control."

"You also have to always hold yourself accountable for your actions," Regina continued. "Which you did. You admitted that you hurt David and Henry, and still feel bad about what happened."

"Lastly, you always have to look presentable," Regina finished. "You may wear pants and a leather jacket, but you always look beautiful in whatever you wear. Those things are what make a lady. I'd say that you have those down, don't you?"

Emma nodded. Regina smiled gently before pulling her into a hug. "You want to know a secret?" Regina asked.

"Of course. I'm always looking for new things to hang over your head," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes before pulling away from Emma. "Funny."

"So what's this secret?" Emma asked. "Now I'm curious."

"There's no way that I could have made that blanket," Regina said. "I can't knit to save my life."

Emma burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. But I find it funny that the Queen herself, basically the model of being a lady, can't knit."

"Oh yes, it's hilarious," Regina scoffed. "But what did I just say about being a lady? It's not what everyone thinks."

"True," Emma agreed. "I could always teach you to knit." She loved teaching Regina new things.

"Only if I get to dress you up," Regina countered. "Dress, makeup, everything."

"Fine," Emma grumbled. "You can put me in a dress."

Regina smiled before grabbing Emma's hand, pulling her in the direction of the mansion. "I'll make you into a girly girl yet."


	91. Day 91: Deserted Island

**This chapter is for Samy with the prompt: "Can you write a story about Emma and Regina are stuck on a deserted island? Emma can make a little house of wood and other things helpful for the beach... Regina is angry cause she can't use her magic here. Emma is amused, she tells Regina to use her dark glare to light the fire, making her wife angrier. Emma plays the savior and promises her that she will save them. Her charming side irritates her wife."**

 **I tried to make this review what I thought that you were looking for, while making it easier to read. Pretty good job with English though!**

Regina woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of the sea. Slowly opening her eyes at the brightness of the sun, Regina fully woke up as she saw herself lying in sand. "What the-"

"Please don't hate me," Emma mumbled. Regina looked behind her and saw Emma sitting on the sand, head in her hands.

"I could never hate you," Regina said, sitting up. "But why are we on a beach?"

"Deserted island actually," Emma said. "And we're here because of me. Not on purpose though, I swear."

"I believe you," Regina reassured her. "Why a deserted island?"

"So we could finally be alone without people staring or making comments," Emma explained, hesitantly looking at Regina through her fingers. "I was thinking about how I wanted to get away from everyone, but with you. Guess my magic chose here."

Regina nodded. "Makes sense."

"Why are you so calm about this?" Emma asked. "I poofed you to a deserted island!"

"Just poof us home," Regina said. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"Um I may have forgotten to mention that we're in the real world," Emma said. "Which means that magic doesn't really work…"

Regina groaned. "You can't be serious."

Emma winked at her. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm the Savior. I'll make sure that we both get home."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You're such a Charming." She went to stand up and head outside. "Maybe it's just your magic that doesn't work."

"Watch you head!" Emma said quickly. "I kinda made the roof too low."

Regina looked around at her surroundings and realized that she was in a little house made of logs. "You made a house?"

Emma nodded. "We arrived here in the middle of the night. I didn't want us just sleeping out in the open."

"Smart," Regina said. She walked carefully out of the house, Emma following closely behind her.

"Have you had a look around?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said. "I didn't want to leave you."

Regina smiled at Emma before grabbing her hand. "Let's go on an adventure."

* * *

"Some adventure," Emma teased as they arrived back to their log house.

Regina laughed. "Yeah, there's nothing here but loads of trees. Not even any animals or anything. It really is deserted."

Emma smiled before looking up at the sky. They had gone sightseeing all day, and it had gotten dark quickly. "The sky looks really pretty here."

"It does," Regina agreed, coming to stand next to her. "Although I'm not sure that I like that darkness around here."

"Good point," Emma said. She started gathering wood that was around her, setting it up in a neat pile for a fire.

Regina tried to make a fireball before remembering that magic couldn't help them here. "Ugh curse this world and its lack of magic."

"You weren't complaining when the curse first brought you to this world," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "That would be because I wasn't stuck on a deserted island."

"Touché," Emma said. She chuckled as Regina glared at the wood. "Glaring at it isn't going to suddenly make it burst into flame."

"You don't know that," Regina mumbled.

"You know, we don't need a fire to stay warm," Emma said, smirking at Regina.

"Is that so?" Regina asked.

"Nope," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her back towards their log house. "I have a much better idea."

Regina smirked. "I like where this is going."

* * *

Emma sat on the beach the next morning, trying to make a sand castle. It wasn't going well. "Did your castle have a moat?"

Regina snorted. "No. Don't be ridiculous."

Emma stuck her tongue out at her wife. "Moats are cool, thank you very much."

"So are protection spells and blood magic," Regina countered.

Emma laughed before looking out into the distance. "How nice would it be if we could just stay here forever?"

"It would make you have a healthier diet," Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. It doesn't look like we're going to be rescued any time soon."

"You can't just avoid the town forever," Regina said.

"It's working out pretty well right now," Emma said, starting to trace patterns in the sand.

"I know," Regina said. She reached out and covered Emma's hand with her own. "But you have a family in town."

Emma sighed. "I know. So what do we do about being rescued?"

"We light a fire," Regina said. "Hopefully someone will see the smoke and come see who's on a deserted island."

"A fire huh?" Emma asked, winking at Regina.

"No distractions this time," Regina scolded, getting up and walking back towards their camping site.

"You're no fun," Emma mumbled, following her.

* * *

It had taken all night, but a passing ship had finally seen the smoke and had come to investigate. Emma had been reluctant to leave their seclusion, but had relented at Regina's mention of Henry.

The men on the ship had looked confused about how they had gotten onto the island in the first place, but didn't ask questions and agreed to take them home.

Luckily, Emma hadn't taken them too far away from home. Their sea journey took 4 days, and by the end of the voyage, Emma was more than happy to get back to town. As long as the town didn't rock back and forth.

"Happy to be home are we?" Regina teased as they walked towards the mansion.

"Yeah yeah," Emma said. "Let's just avoid my parents for a little bit."

"Emma!" Snow called, running up behind them.

"No," Emma groaned, looking up at the sky. "Why me?"

"You know, we're back in a place where magic works," Regina whispered to Emma.

"Praises for magic," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's hand and poofed them home. She would never take magic for granted ever again.

 **Okay guys, so my schedule is going to be crazy this next week with dress rehearsals and performances for the musical that I'm in. So, I'm pre-writing the chapters for days 93-97. They'll still be posted on a daily basis though. You can continue to leave prompts and such, but I probably won't get to them until everything is over with the musical. Hope you all understand!**


	92. Day 92: Attention

**Last prompt before the pre written chapters are put up. I've already written Days 93 and 94, and I think that you'll really like them :) Anyway, this chapter is for wicked73 with the prompt: "It's a little angst for you, but what if they're not together yet and Emma keeps trying to make Regina angry because she won't admit her feelings for fear that Regina might reject her."**

Emma Swan was in love with Regina Mills. That much she knew. What she didn't know was if the feelings were mutual, and Emma hated being rejected. Sometimes it was just easier to keep your feelings to yourself than risk rejection.

The only problem was that Emma still wanted to be around Regina as much as she could. There was only so much that they could talk about, and their current topic of Henry was starting to run out of steam.

Emma remembered when she had first come to town, and how she and Regina had talked all the time. Mainly making sarcastic and biting comments, but it was still talking.

And so Operation Angry Mayor was created. Emma chuckled to herself as she thought of Henry and his operations. He must be rubbing off on her.

Emma thought of what she could say to Regina. There were a million things that she could use to start a conversation that could lead to an argument. It had to be something that frustrated Emma as well, or Regina would just brush her off. Like she usually did.

Emma smiled to herself as she thought of the perfect argument. This was going to be fun.

* * *

"I was just talking to my mother," Emma said, walking into Regina's office.

"Congratulations," Regina said. "Why are you here? And don't you know how to knock?"

Emma backed up and knocked on the door frame. Regina rolled her eyes. "What do you want Miss Swan?"

"Like I said, I was just talking to my mother," Emma said. "And she apologized again for everything that happened with the wardrobe."

"Okay," Regina said. "That was nice of her. But what does that have to do with me?"

"Because she's not the one that should have apologized," Emma said, putting her hands on Regina's desk and leaning towards her. "You are."

"Excuse me?" Regina asked. "What in the world do I have to apologize for? I didn't stick you in a wardrobe."

"But you created the curse," Emma countered. "The curse that left them no choice."

"They had a choice," Regina argued. "They could have kept you."

"But then I wouldn't have been able to break the curse," Emma said.

"I'm sure that I wouldn't have had a problem with that," Regina said, glaring at her.

"Henry would have found the book anyway," Emma said. "Fate does funny things."

"So? That doesn't mean that you would have been convinced," Regina said. "Not to mention that I probably would have killed you."

Emma's jaw dropped in shock. "You would have killed me?"

Regina smirked at Emma's face. "You were destined to break my curse. Of course I was going to kill you."

Emma's jaw snapped shut. No way was Regina going to win this argument. Time for the kill. "If you had killed me, Henry never would have been born."

"True," Regina agreed. "And where would anyone be without Henry?"

"And who knows what would have happened if Henry hadn't hated you and made you turn good?" Emma asked.

"Henry never hated me," Regina said, glaring at Emma.

"You sure?" Emma asked. "Because when I first got here, he seemed pretty determined to get away from you."

Hurt flashed across Regina's face before her mask settled in. "If you came into my office just to start an argument and hurt me, than congratulations Miss Swan. You've succeeded. Now get out."

Emma winced. Maybe this plan hadn't been the best idea. "Regina I-"

"Get. Out." Regina snapped.

Emma reluctantly turned and left Regina's office. She had just screwed up big time.

* * *

A knock sounded on the door of the apartment, startling Emma out of her thoughts. She was trying to think of how to apologize to Regina.

Opening the door, Emma looked in confusion at Henry. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too," Henry said, walking inside. "Mom sent me here. She also gave me this to give to you." He handed Emma a note.

Emma bit her lip before opening it.

 _Miss Swan,_

 _Since my son clearly hates me and wants to be away from me, he's all yours._

 _Regina_

"What have I done?" Emma asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, what did you do?" Henry asked. "Mom seemed really upset."

Emma winced. "I may have said some awful things to her. But I swear that I didn't mean any of it."

"Then why say it?" Henry asked.

"Because I wanted to get her attention," Emma mumbled. "We used to talk all the time, but it was always an argument."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Way to win her over Ma."

"I know, I know," Emma said. "I'm stupid."

"Very," Henry agreed. "Now you just have to fix it."

"How do I do that?" Emma asked. "I'm pretty sure that she hates me now."

Henry shook his head. "She could never hate you. She loves you."

"She does?" Emma asked.

"Duh," Henry said. "You guys are both just so fearful of rejection that you refuse to say anything."

Emma chuckled. "Sounds about right."

Henry started to push Emma towards the door. "Go apologize. And admit your feelings to her. You might be pleasantly surprised at what she says."

* * *

Emma walked up to the door of the mansion and raised her hand to knock.

"Don't bother," Regina said, opening the door. "You're the last person that I want to see right now."

Emma winced. "I figured as much. But I really need to talk to you."

"Why's that?" Regina asked. "Have more insults to throw at me?"

"I did that to get your attention," Emma explained. "We used to talk so much, but it was always arguments. So I thought that arguing was the way to go."

"So you insulted me because you wanted to get my attention?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "I'm sorry. I know that it was dumb."

"Very," Regina agreed. "Almost as dumb as leaving our son at the apartment. Alone."

"He's kinda the one that sent me here," Emma said.

"He is?" Regina asked. "Why would he do that?"

"He wanted me to tell you something," Emma admitted. "And he's as demanding as you are. Kinda hard to say no."

Regina laughed. "You have a good point. So what do you have to tell me?"

Emma bit her lip nervously. Might as well just blurt it out. "I love you."

Regina's eyes widened. "You what?"

"I love you," Emma repeated. "I think I have since the very first day that I met you. I just didn't know if you felt the same, so I didn't want to say anything. But I figured I had to tell you, and if you don't feel the same then-"

Emma was cut off as Regina's lips pressed against her own. "I think I feel the same, don't you?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "It seems that way."

"So no more arguing?" Regina asked.

"I don't know, you look dangerously sexy when you're angry," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Only you."

"You love me," Emma said, smiling.

"I do," Regina said, pulling Emma in for another kiss. "For some crazy reason, I do."


	93. Day 93: Reading Glasses

Emma held the cereal box away from her body, squinting to read the font. "Henry. What cereal is this?"

"Um, Cheerios?" Henry said. "Why are you asking me? You're the one holding the box."

"I can't read it," Emma said. "The font is too blurry."

"Or you just need glasses," Henry said, snickering.

Emma glared at him. "I do not need glasses. My eyesight is just fine, thank you."

"You just asked me what cereal that you were holding," Henry countered. "I'd say that means that your eyesight isn't the best."

Emma stuck her tongue out at him before pouring milk into her cereal and beginning to eat. "Say nothing to your mother about this."

"Say nothing to me about what?" Regina asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Emma said quickly, eating more of her cereal and glaring at Henry. Henry said nothing and went back to eating his own breakfast.

Regina raised an eyebrow before slowly walking behind the counter. "This wouldn't have anything to do with your paperwork looking like a four year old wrote it, would it?"

Emma blushed as Henry snorted into his cereal. "Nope," she said. "I was just in a hurry."

"Uh huh," Regina said. She picked up the cereal box that Emma had set down and held it in front of her. "Read the back of this."

"I have to go," Emma said, eating the last bite of her cereal. "Don't want to be late to work!" She dumped her milk in the sink before hurriedly running out of the kitchen before Regina could say anything else.

Regina and Henry shared a glance. "She needs glasses doesn't she?" Henry asked.

"Just reading glasses for things up close," Regina said. "Finish your breakfast so I can take you to school. I'll work on her."

* * *

Emma sighed as she looked at the paperwork in front of her. As much as she hated to admit it, the paper was blurry.

Picking it up, Emma held her arm out in front of her until the words grew sharper. "There we go," she mumbled.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, chuckling. "I thought that you could see perfectly fine."

"I can," Emma said, quickly setting down her paper. "No problems here."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You are so stubborn."

"You love me for it," Emma said, smiling at Regina.

"I do," Regina agreed, walking around Emma's desk. "But your stubbornness isn't going to help your eyesight."

"My eyesight is fine," Emma repeated.

"Read the paper in front of you," Regina challenged. "Without holding it up and moving it away from you."

Emma bit her lip and looked down at the paper. She couldn't see anything but blurs of black on a white sheet of paper. She pointed to the top of the page. "That's the spot for my name."

Regina laughed. "Nope. That's the spot for my name. Hence why none of the paperwork that you've done these past few days is actually correct."

Emma winced. "Sorry. I'll redo it."

Regina smiled gently at her. "That's not the problem. I fixed it. The problem is that you need reading glasses."

"No I don't," Emma argued, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Regina asked. "They're just glasses."

"Reading glasses are for old people," Emma mumbled.

Regina chuckled before grabbing Emma's hand. "Just because you need reading glasses doesn't mean that you're old."

"Yes it does," Emma huffed.

Regina squeezed Emma's hand gently. "No it doesn't. Besides, you might actually look sexy in them."

Emma looked at her skeptically. "Are you lying just to make me give in?"

"Of course not!" Regina said. "I'm being honest. Plus it will help your vision, guaranteed."

Emma sighed. "Fine. I'll get reading glasses."

Regina smiled before pulling Emma to her feet and kissing her gently. "Let's go."

"Right now?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Regina said. "You're behind on paperwork."


	94. Day 94: Sleepless Protector

Regina sat in the living room, listening carefully to any noise. After everything that had happened with Pan and Neverland, Regina wanted to always be ready for anything. She couldn't remember the last time that she actually had slept, or the last time that she had allowed Henry to leave the house.

Hearing a creak on the stairs, Regina immediately lit a fireball in her hand, ready to spring into action. She slowly walked around the corner and nearly ran into Henry.

"Henry," Regina said, extinguishing the fire in her hand. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question," Henry countered. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I was just about to head to bed," Regina said, smiling gently at him. "Go on back to bed. Don't worry about me."

Henry narrowed his eyes at her before crossing his arms. "You go to your bedroom first."

Regina sighed. "Henry, this isn't necessary. Go on, go to your room. I'll head up to mine shortly."

"No you won't," Henry said. "I'm pretty sure that you haven't slept since we got back from Neverland."

"That's not true," Regina said. "I've been sleeping every night. I just go to bed later than you do."

Henry rolled his eyes. "I'm not dumb, mom. Now go to bed, or I'm calling Emma."

Regina's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Oh I would," Henry said. "She loves you, and she's the one who always seems to make you cave. So either go willingly, or I'll call her."

Regina glared at him. "Who did you learn your blackmail skills from?"

"Learned them myself," Henry said, smirking. "Now go to bed."

* * *

Regina sat in her bedroom, unable to fall asleep. She knew that Henry had watched her enter her room, and had probably waited for a while to make sure that she stayed there. But now she couldn't even sit still.

Standing up, Regina walked over to her door, hesitantly opening it. She peeked out and sighed in relief when she saw Henry's door shut. Walking out of her room, she opened Henry's door, glancing inside to see if he was all right.

Henry was sleeping peacefully in his bed, oblivious to his mother watching and worrying for him. Smiling at him, Regina slowly and quietly shut his door.

She walked downstairs, headed back for her area in the living room. Surprisingly, she wasn't even tired. Well, she tried to tell herself that she wasn't.

Regina walked into the living room and stopped in shock at seeing Emma sitting in her chair. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same question," Emma said, crossing her arms.

"I live here," Regina said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Why are you up?"

"I'm not tired," Regina said, walking over and sitting on the couch.

"Really?" Emma asked. "Because the kid called earlier and said that you haven't slept since we got back from Neverland. Which was quite a long time ago."

"I'm fine," Regina said. "You should go home and get some sleep."

"And you should go upstairs and do the same," Emma countered.

"I don't need sleep," Regina said. "I need to make sure that Henry is safe."

"So that's what this is about," Emma said, getting out of the chair. She moved over and sat on the couch next to Regina. "He's not going anywhere."

"You don't know that," Regina argued. "We thought that everything had died down and that he would finally be able to be safe, but here we are. We almost lost him!"

"Regina, he's upstairs," Emma said. "You haven't let him leave the house since we got back. He's going stir crazy."

"He hasn't said anything to me," Regina argued.

"That's because you'd probably just tell him that he's being ridiculous and that the town isn't safe," Emma said.

"Well it isn't!" Regina said. "Not anymore."

"You can't just keep him locked up in here," Emma said.

"Magical barriers are incredible things," Regina said.

Emma grabbed Regina's hand, intertwining their fingers. "You aren't going to be able to protect him forever. You need to let him leave the house every once in awhile. And you need to sleep."

"That's a lot to expect of me at once," Regina said.

"Then we'll do it in steps," Emma said. "We're going to go upstairs, and go to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll all go as a family to Granny's for lunch. It's out of the house, but you'll still be with him. Deal?"

Regina bit her lip as she thought about it. "Okay. That sounds fine."

Emma smiled before standing up, pulling Regina with her. "Good. Let's go get some sleep."

"I'm not sure I can," Regina said as she looked at Henry's door.

Emma squeezed her hand. "He'll still be here in the morning. I promise."

Regina looked at Henry's door but allowed herself to be pulled into her bedroom. "Alright sleepless protector," Emma teased. "Time to get some sleep."

 **To the reviewer Harleyxx7, kudos to you for reading every chapter at once. The chapter you're looking for is Day 17, Red Rose.**


	95. Day 95: Love Again

Emma sat by Regina's hospital bed, holding tightly onto her hand. "Please don't leave me."

"How is she?" Henry asked, walking into the room.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to go home after school," Emma said, glaring at Snow and David, who were standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Sorry," Snow said.

"I need to be here," Henry said, sitting in the chair next to Emma's. "She's my mom."

Emma looked at him before sighing in defeat. "Okay kid. You can stay. But your grandparents are going to come back and get you for dinner and then you're going home."

"Okay," Henry agreed. "I guess that'll be okay."

Emma nodded before turning back to Regina. "Henry's here. He misses you as much as I do. Please come back to us."

* * *

 _Regina looked around at her surroundings in confusion. It looked like she was just in a white space. "Hello?"_

" _Regina?" a voice said from behind her._

 _Regina froze. She knew that voice. She slowly turned around and saw the person who had spoken. "Daniel."_

 _Daniel smiled at her. "It's good to see you too. But you shouldn't be here."_

" _If I'm seeing you, does that mean that I'm dead?" Regina asked._

" _Not quite. But close," Daniel said sadly._

" _If I embrace it, does that mean that I get to be with you?" Regina asked._

" _Regina," Daniel said, walking to her. He grabbed both of her hands gently in his. "You have people that you need to return to. People that love you."_

" _But I don't want to lose you again," Regina said. "I want to just stay here with you."_

" _What did I tell you?" Daniel asked._

" _To love again," Regina said softly. "But I can't."_

 _Daniel chuckled. "Yes you can. You already have."_

 _Regina bit her lip as she thought about Emma Swan. It was true; she had learned to love again. "I don't want to say goodbye to you again."_

 _Daniel squeezed her hands gently. "I'll always be with you. I promise. But you in return have to promise me something."_

" _Anything," Regina said._

" _You have to actually tell her how you feel," Daniel said. "She feels the same. Take this as incentive to tell her."_

" _Okay," Regina agreed. "I'll tell her."_

" _Good," Daniel said. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "I love you. I always have, and I always will."_

" _I love you too," Regina said. "I'll never forget you."_

* * *

Regina slowly opened her eyes. She recognized the hospital room in Storybrooke, as well as the sleeping form of the blonde in the chair next to her bed.

"Emma," Regina called.

Emma slowly opened her eyes at the sound of her name, fully waking up at seeing Regina's eyes open. "You're awake. Do you need anything? Should I get Whale? I should probably get Whale."

"Emma," Regina said, grabbing her hand. "Calm down. I'm fine. Just a little sore is all."

"Good," Emma said. "Now I can kill you. What were you thinking? Driving out in a snowstorm sounds like a great idea!"

"I wanted to get home," Regina said. "I just had a feeling that Henry needed me."

"What am I going to do with you?" Emma asked, tucking a stray piece of Regina's hair behind her ear.

"There's something that I have to tell you," Regina said. "And it's really important."

"Okay," Emma said. "What's up?"

"I was in love with a stable boy named Daniel when I was younger," Regina said. "I was going to run away with him, but my mother killed him before we could leave. I later tried to have him brought back to life, and he was. But he wasn't the same, and it was causing him great pain. He asked me to let him go, and to love again. Before, I thought that it would be impossible. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Because of Henry?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said. "Because of you."

Emma's eyes widened. "Me?"

Regina nodded. "You. This made me realize that life is unpredictable. I had to let you know."

"Know what?" Emma asked.

"That I love you," Regina said. "I love you, Emma Swan. You are the one who proved to me that I can love again."

"I love you too," Emma said. She stood up before leaning down and kissing Regina gently. "Please don't ever do this to me again."

"I won't," Regina promised. "If it's snowing and I want to get home, I'll just walk instead."

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed.

Regina laughed before pulling Emma down for another kiss. "I'm kidding."

Emma glared at her. "You better be."

Regina smiled at Emma's over-protectiveness. "Thank you for making me love again."

Emma smiled. "And thank you for making me love again."

Watching them both, Daniel smiled. His soul was finally at peace. Regina had learned to love again, and that was all that he could ask for.


	96. Day 96: Remote Fight

**Guess who's back? The Swan-Mills family, that's who!**

"Mom!" Ava shouted. "Henry's hogging the remote again!"

"Am not!" Henry shouted. "Ava's lying!"

"Your children are arguing again," Emma said, walking into the kitchen.

"Nope," Regina said. "They're your children when they're annoying."

Emma laughed. "When are they yours then?"

Regina smirked at her. "When they're behaving."

Henry chose that moment to come running into the kitchen, holding the remote high above his head. Ava was hot on his trail, jumping up and down to reach the remote. "Henry, give it!"

"It's my turn anyway!" Henry said.

Emma sighed before snatching the remote from Henry's grasp. "You two are being ridiculous. It's a remote."

"That controls the TV," Henry and Ava said at the same time.

Regina bit her lip to keep from laughing. Emma glared at her before turning back to Henry and Ava. "You need to share the remote."

"We are," Henry said, glaring at Ava. "I am anyway."

"Hey!" Ava said. "I share the remote. Besides, it's my turn anyway. So you're the one not sharing!"

"No way, it's my turn!" Henry argued. "So you're the one not sharing."

Regina covered her mouth to try and hide her smile. This argument was over something so simple, and yet it was funny. They were getting so worked up over a TV remote.

"How about this?" Emma asked. "Either you two find a way to get along with the remote, or no TV for either of you."

"What?" Henry and Ava asked.

"You heard me," Emma said. "Figure out a schedule, or no more TV."

"Fine," Henry and Ava grumbled, leaving the room.

Emma rolled her eyes before setting the remote on the counter. "Those two are going to be the death of me."

"But you love them," Regina said.

"I do," Emma agreed. "As ridiculous as that argument was."

"Just wait until Lola is old enough to watch TV with them," Regina said. "Then we'll have 3 kids all competing for the TV at the same time."

Emma's eyes widened. "Oh no."

Regina laughed at the look on Emma's face. "Oh no sounds about right."

"We didn't think about this when we had 3 kids did we?" Emma asked.

"Technically all 3 of them were your fault," Regina teased.

Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina. "It wasn't a one woman effort. You adopted Henry, were pregnant with Lola, and agreed to adopting Ava."

"Touché," Regina said. "So we're both at fault."

"Ava, give me the controller!" Henry shouted.

"You turn," Emma said, running from the room. "There is no way that I want to get in between Henry and his video games."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Coward."


	97. Day 97: Middle Names

"Do you guys have middle names?" Henry asked one night at dinner.

"Middle names weren't really a thing in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said, shrugging. "So no."

Henry looked expectantly at Emma, who shrugged. "I was transported to another world in a magical wardrobe," she said.

Regina and Henry burst out laughing. "So that's a no then?" Henry asked.

"Yeah that's a no," Emma said, chuckling. "What brought up this subject anyway?"

Henry shrugged. "I found my adoption papers, and was just curious. I have a middle name."

Regina froze. "You do," she agreed. "But why were you looking at your adoption papers?"

"I wasn't," Henry said. "I just found them when I was going through some stuff. And I just got to thinking about where my names came from. I mean my last name is obviously yours, and Henry was your father, but who's Daniel?"

"Daniel was a good friend of mine," Regina said softly. "You should finish your dinner. It's getting cold."

"But you had to have been really good friends if you gave me his name," Henry persisted. "Right?"

"We were very close," Regina agreed. "Now please eat."

Henry picked up his fork. "But-"

Emma cleared her throat and looked pointedly at Henry's plate. Sighing, he went back to eating. He wasn't going to learn anything about Daniel. Yet.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell him?" Emma asked from her spot on the bed.

"Tell him about what?" Regina asked innocently.

"Daniel," Emma said. "Your first love. The man whose death fueled your hate for my mother. That Daniel."

Regina bit her lip and sighed before sitting on the bed next to Emma. "It's complicated."

"How so?" Emma asked.

"He only knows what the storybook tells him," Regina said. "If I tell him about Daniel and all that happened, I'm showing him that the villains are sometimes victims of the heroes. Won't that ruin his idea of heroes and villains?"

"The world isn't made up of heroes and villains," Emma said. "It's made of people who are heroes _and_ villains. Everybody has a piece of both in them. Daniel's death was just the tipping point for you, and you couldn't take it anymore. But you named Henry after the two men that you loved the most in your life. I think that you should tell him that."

"You're right," Regina said. "I suppose I should tell him." She got up off of the bed and opened the door, jumping when she noticed Henry standing right outside.

"Hi," Henry said awkwardly. "I wasn't eavesdropping."

"How much of that did you hear?" Regina asked.

"All of it," Henry admitted. "Will you tell me more about Daniel?"

"You want to know more about Daniel?" Regina asked in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," Henry said. "He was your first love, and obviously something happened to him that involves Snow. But he sounds like a great guy. So I want to know more about him."

"Okay," Regina agreed, running her fingers gently through Henry's hair. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her bedroom. "I'll tell you all about Daniel."


	98. Day 98: Olympics

**I'm back to normal chapters! The musical is going great :) Only 3 performances left! Anyway, this chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "** **I had this in my mind for you a little while back, but it's now the time! How about they are watching the Olympics (Swan-Mills Family can be used if your little creative heart desires) and Emma/family asks Regina is they had something similar in the EF. She says well yes, sort of, the realms would gather and have competitions. Regina even competed in equestrian, most royals did. You can take it either way to be angsty and Regina gets sad and misses home, or funny and talks about other sports and how stupid they were, but comments this world has some daft sports too, like what is the function of dancing with a ribbon (or whatever)."**

 **My heart desires to use the Swan-Mills family, BUT Henry and Ava are gone from the house and Lola is a teen. Who's ready to meet a teenage Lola? :)**

"Ma, it's starting!" Lola called.

Emma quickly ran into the room, plopping down onto the couch next to Lola. "What's on today?"

"Gymnastics," Lola said. "My favorite, of course."

"You can thank your mother for your love of gymnastics," Emma said. "She's the one that signed you up for it in the first place."

"She signed me up for everything," Lola said, rolling her eyes. "It's like she didn't know what I would like better, so she signed me up for everything that she could."

Emma laughed. "Remember when you did tap dancing?"

Lola shuddered. "Those were dark times indeed."

They both started laughing as the first gymnast walked onto the floor. "Shhh," Lola scolded. "It's about to begin!"

"Did you just shush me?" Emma asked. She looked mock hurt, and Lola started laughing.

"What are you two laughing about?" Regina asked, walking into the room.

"We were just remembering my old days of tap dancing," Lola said. "And how I'm thankful that I only have gymnastics now."

"What are you watching?" Regina asked.

"The Olympics," Emma said. "The floor routines are about to start."

As the first gymnast began, Regina watched with disinterest. "That's all that they do?"

"What do you mean?" Lola asked. "Some of those moves are really complicated!"

"But she's just dancing and doing flips to some music," Regina said in confusion. "How is that hard?"

"Mom," Lola groaned. "You are so uneducated."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well there certainly wasn't anything like that in the Enchanted Forest, I can tell you that much."

"You didn't have competitions or anything?" Lola asked.

"Oh no, we did," Regina said. "I was talking about the flipping thing."

Emma snorted. "So then what did you have?"

"Well I competed in horseback riding," Regina said. "Most royals did."

"Did you ever win anything?" Lola asked in excitement.

"Not everything is about winning," Regina scolded. "But yes, I won several trophies and ribbons. It was the only sport that I was allowed, so I took it very seriously."

"That's so cool," Lola said. "But I think that I'm going to stick to gymnastics. Horses seem to not like me very much."

"Yeah you may have gotten that from me," Emma said. "They don't like me either."

Regina laughed. "You can do whatever you want to."

"Well, then I'm going to be one of them someday," Lola said, gesturing to the TV. "I'm going to make it onto the Olympic gymnastics team when I'm older, and I'm going to win gold."

"Way to dream big," Emma said. "It's gonna take a whole lot of hard work."

"I know," Lola said. "Nothing in life is ever easy. But I know that I can do it."

Regina smiled proudly at her. "That's my girl."

* * *

"Come on, we have to get to our seats," Emma said, pulling Regina along behind her.

"There's so many people here," Regina said. "I hope that she doesn't crack under the pressure."

"This is Lola that we're talking about," Emma said. "She wanted to be here, and she earned this spot. There's no way she's going to mess up now."

Regina smiled as they took their seats next to Henry and Ava. "This is amazing," Henry said. "I can't believe that Lola is actually performing at the Olympics!"

"I know!" Ava exclaimed. "This is so incredibly cool."

Regina and Emma laughed at their other children's enthusiasm for their sister. The whole arena got quiet as Lola stepped up to the floor. They saw her take a deep breath and get ready. Years and years of training and hard work had prepared her for this moment.

The music began and Lola started her routine, earning cheers and applause from the crowd. The rest of the US team shouted encouragements to her as she landed perfectly every time.

As she landed for the final time, the crowd went wild. Lola's score had to be high, considering she had done a pretty perfect routine. As Lola left the floor, her score was announced throughout the arena. 15.600.

The crowd cheered as the rest of the team ran to Lola, tackling her in a massive hug. Lola had just won a gold medal.


	99. Day 99: Little Emma

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt: "Can you do one where Emma accidentally turns herself into a 5 year old that has a crush on Regina."**

An argument had just begun. Henry knew what to do, and was hiding in his room, far away from both of his mothers.

Neither Emma or Regina could even remember what they were arguing about, but it had died down to just casually throwing sarcastic insults at one another.

"Stop acting like a 5 year old," Regina said.

Emma froze and glared at her. "If you knew anything about what I was like as a 5 year old, you wouldn't have said that."

Regina turned to face her. Had she just crossed a line? "Emma-"

"Don't," Emma said, turning away. She walked to the front door and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

Regina winced at the loud noise. Their arguments almost always ended with apologies on both ends, and then they moved on. But clearly this time was different. Regina had struck a nerve.

"Where'd ma go?" Henry asked, walking hesitantly into the room.

"No idea," Regina said, rubbing her temples. "That slam was her leaving the house."

"You might want to go after her before something bad happens", Henry suggested. "Her magic always gets crazy when she's upset, and that never ends well."

Regina nodded before walking to the front door, but stopped when she heard her phone ring. She pulled it out and glared at the screen at seeing the name there. "Yes?"

"There's a tiny problem," Snow said, looking at the little girl sitting in front of her. "You should come to the station."

Regina groaned. "I have to find Emma first."

"No need to," Snow said. "We found her for you."

* * *

"Where is she?" Regina asked, walking quickly into the station. Henry was right behind her.

"Now you can't freak out," Snow said. "She's kind of jumpy at the moment."

"Jumpy?" Regina asked. Snow nodded before stepping to the side, revealing the little girl sitting behind her in David's chair. She was giggling as David kept spinning her around in circles, but stopped at seeing Regina staring at her.

Emma tugged at David's sleeve until he crouched down to her level. "Who's she?"

"She's our friend," David said gently. "Her name's Regina."

Emma looked at Regina before blushing slightly. "She's really pretty."

David bit his lip to keep from laughing. Even a 5-year-old Emma had a crush on Regina. "She is."

"But she's staring at me funny," Emma said skeptically.

Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts before smiling gently at the little girl. "Sorry. You just remind me of someone."

Emma nodded in satisfaction before turning to David. "Can I spin some more please?" David smiled and nodded before beginning to gently spin her again.

Snow turned to Regina. "Did you hear how polite that was? No child is ever that polite. Especially with how little she is."

Regina looked at Emma sadly. "You're that polite if you're trained to be."

"What do you mean?" Snow asked.

"I was that polite," Regina explained.

"But you were a lady. And raised by Cora," Snow argued.

"Exactly," Regina said. She saw as realization hit Snow like a bus, and her eyes filled with tears.

"What has she been through?" Snow asked.

"I don't know," Regina said. "But clearly it was a lot, and she's still very young."

"So what do we do?" Snow asked. "We can't just keep her in the station. She has to go home with someone until this is fixed."

"She should come with us," Henry said. Snow and Regina jumped. They had forgotten that he was there.

"Why us?" Regina asked. "Snow and David are her parents."

"You're married to her," Henry argued. "You probably know her better than they do."

"He's got a point," Snow agreed. "You may not be married to this version of her, but you do know her better than we do. And if she's gone through a lot, who better to understand her than you?"

Regina looked at Emma, still happily spinning in David's chair. "Okay. We can take her with us."

* * *

"Your house is really big," Emma said in complete awe.

Regina chuckled. "I'm guessing that you like it then?" Emma nodded, her eyes still taking everything in.

"I'll stay with her while you go get a guest room ready," Henry said. He took Emma's hand and led her to the living room.

Regina smiled before going upstairs. As she was making the bed, she thought about how to change Emma back. Then again, if Emma had done this to herself, only she could turn herself back.

Thinking back to their argument, Regina remembered that Emma's breaking point had been when Regina had called her a 5 year old. "That's it. I have to get to know her 5 year old self and she'll change back."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Henry asked.

Regina spun to face him. "No. Of course not."

"Liar," Henry said, smirking at her. "I totally heard you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Where's Emma?"

"Watching an old version of Sesame Street," Henry said. "She told me she's not allowed to watch TV for more than half an hour though, so you might want to hurry up."

"She's only allowed a half hour of TV?" Regina asked. "That seems a little strict."

"A little?" Henry asked. "Did you not see how polite she was? It's like it was drilled into her."

"I know," Regina said. She finished making the bed before turning again to Henry. "Why don't you go get ready for bed? I'll take care of her."

"Okay," Henry said. "Night mom."

* * *

Regina walked out of the room and was about to walk into the living room when she noticed Emma sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "What are you doing there?" Regina asked.

Emma jumped before standing up quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to block your path."

"It's alright," Regina said gently. "Henry just told me that you were watching TV, so I expected to find you in the living room."

Emma nodded. "I was watching it, but I got bored, so I decided to wait for you. Is that okay?"

Regina's heart broke a little at Emma's response. "Of course that's okay. Come on, let's go upstairs. I prepared a guest room for you to sleep in."

"I get my own room?" Emma asked.

"Of course," Regina said. She reached down and grabbed Emma's little hand, pulling her gently up the stairs. They walked together to the guest room, and Regina tucked Emma in gently.

"Can I ask you a question?" Emma asked softly.

"You just did," Regina teased.

Emma giggled. "No silly. Another question."

Regina smiled before nodding. "Of course you can."

"Are you my new foster mommy?" Emma asked. "Cause I like you a lot better than the other ones that I've had."

"What were your other ones like?" Regina asked.

"Mean," Emma said, looking down at her hands. "They're all so mean to me. I never do anything right. And I can't ask for anything or they call me greedy or needy. I always have to look my best and act like a lady. But they never pay any attention to me. I know that they don't love me."

Regina bit her lip to keep from crying. "I don't know how long that you're going to be here. But while you are, I'm going to take the best care of you that I can."

Emma nodded in satisfaction before snuggling underneath the covers. "One more question."

"Sure," Regina said. "One more, and then you have to go to sleep."

"Okay," Emma agreed. "Who are you married to?"

Regina looked at her in surprise before remembering that she was technically married to the little girl in front of her. "Um. Well, I'm married to a very nice woman. But she's not home right now."

"You're married to another woman?" Emma asked with wide eyes. "My foster mommy wouldn't like that. She says that marriage is just for a woman and man. Like Adam and Eve."

Regina winced. So that was why Emma had such a hard time when their relationship had first started. "Some people think that. But we don't listen to them."

"Okay," Emma said, pulling the covers tighter around her. "Goodnight Regina."

* * *

Regina was making pancakes the next morning as Emma came downstairs. "Morning."

"Hey there," Regina said. "You're back to your normal age."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "I haven't changed ages. Although it is weird that I woke up in the house. The last thing that I remember is leaving the house after our argument."

"You don't remember anything else?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said. "Why? What happened?"

"You turned yourself into a 5 year old by accident," Regina said. "Snow and David found you, but gave you to me to take care of."

Emma's eyes widened. "I didn't do that. Please tell me I didn't actually do that."

Regina put down her spatula before walking over to Emma. "It wasn't that big of a deal. You were actually a really cute 5 year old."

"Thanks," Emma mumbled. "That makes me feel so much better."

"Relax," Regina said soothingly. "You didn't say anything embarrassing. Although you did act really jumpy."

Emma sighed before running her fingers through her hair. "That's why I turned into a 5 year old. I told you that you had no idea what I was like back then. Stupid magic."

Regina smiled at her. "Stupid magic that just showed me something new about you. Why didn't you tell me that you had such terrible foster families?"

Emma shrugged. "It didn't seem important. It's all in the past."

"If you had told me I wouldn't have thrown it at you like that," Regina said. "I didn't realize-"

"Stop," Emma interrupted. "This is why I didn't tell you. We argued, and we both said things that we didn't mean. But I don't want you to treat me differently. Everything that happened to me happened for a reason. I wouldn't change a thing."

Regina nodded before pulling Emma to her and kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emma said. "Now get back to making your pancakes. Those things are amazing."

"Yes ma'am," Regina said. "By the way, you totally had a crush on me."

"I did not!" Emma said.

"How would you know?" Regina asked. "You can't remember anything."

"What did I say?" Emma asked.

"You told me that I was very pretty," Regina said, smirking. "And then you asked who I was married to."

Emma groaned before hitting her head with the palm of her hand. "Great."

Regina laughed. "I thought it was cute. And it made me love you even more."

"Doesn't make it any less embarrassing," Emma mumbled. "By the way, please tell me that Henry didn't see me when I was little."

"Morning!" Henry said, walking into the room. "Hey ma, you're back to your normal age."

Emma groaned again before plopping into a nearby chair. "I'm never going to live this down."

 **This chapter was sooo long. I liked it though!**


	100. Day 100: Smartphone

**GUYS IT'S DAY 100! I can't believe that this story has already been here for 100 days. Thank you so much to everyone who's been reading the story so far. I wouldn't even still be writing this story if I didn't have such awesome feedback and readers.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is for amywood.581 with the prompt: "** **Maybe one where Emma is teaching Regina how to use a smartphone?" Just to let you all know, Regina does not already have a smartphone. I double-checked :)**

"You need an upgrade," Emma said, picking up Regina's phone.

"A what?" Regina asked.

"Upgrade," Emma said. "This is an old phone. You should get a new one."

"My phone right now works well, thank you," Regina said, taking her phone from Emma. "It texts and calls. What else do I need?"

"You could have apps that would make your life a lot easier," Emma said. "There's even a flashlight."

"Why can't I just use a regular flashlight?" Regina asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "What if you don't have a flashlight with you?"

"If it's dark I always have a flashlight with me," Regina argued. "Or I just use my magic. Fire creates light."

"You are so difficult," Emma groaned.

Regina laughed. "I'm just trying to understand why I need a new phone. So far you're not making a very good case."

"Let's just say that there are a lot of things on a smartphone that I think that you'll like," Emma said. "And you're just going to have to trust me."

"Let's make a deal," Regina said.

"What is with you people and deals?" Emma mumbled.

Regina laughed. "I'm not as bad as some."

"True," Emma agreed. "So what is this deal?"

Regina smiled. "We go and try out this smartphone thing. If I like it, I'll buy it. If not, you drop it."

"Okay," Emma said. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"I mean completely dropping it," Regina said, looking at Emma knowingly.

Emma laughed before extending her hand. "You have yourself a deal Madame Mayor."

* * *

"They have a whole store just for these phones?" Regina asked, staring at the large Apple logo.

"Not just phones," Emma said. "They also have computers and tablets."

"I see," Regina said. She walked into the store and began looking around, taking in the sight of a little girl playing on a tablet while her parents talked to a store clerk.

"Why doesn't she just stand there and wait instead of playing that game?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "Modern era I guess. Kids need something to keep them busy all the time. Games on an iPad do that."

Regina shook her head. "I'm glad that I didn't raise Henry like that."

"Me too," Emma said. "Now come on, the phones are over here."

Regina took in the sight of all of the phones before turning to Emma helplessly. "I don't even know the first thing about how these work."

Emma chuckled before pointing to the nearest phone. "I'll show you. The power button is on the top here." She pushed it, turning the phone on and displaying the lock screen. "Then you swipe right, and you're taken to home screen." She swiped right, displaying all of the different apps.

"What are all those little things?" Regina asked, pointing at the apps displayed.

"Those are apps," Emma explained. "Let me show you."

* * *

After a couple of hours of explaining every single app and how it worked, Emma sincerely hoped that Regina would actually buy the phone in front of her.

"I don't know," Regina said. "A lot of those things seem unnecessary."

Emma groaned. "You couldn't have said that while I was explaining them all to you?"

Regina smiled sheepishly. "It was interesting."

Emma rolled her eyes before playfully pushing Regina away. "You are going to be the death of me."

"But what a way to go," Regina said, smirking.

Emma burst out laughing. "Okay, so are we getting the phone or not?"

Regina pursed her lips before nodding. "I might as well. Maybe if I get a smartphone, Henry will think I'm 'cool'."

"Henry's a teenager," Emma said. "He'll never think that you're cool."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

Emma laughed. "Okay. That's a challenge. See if you can make our son think that you're cool because you have a smartphone."

"And if I win this challenge?" Regina asked.

"If you win I'll do all of my paperwork by tomorrow," Emma said.

"You're on," Regina said, shaking Emma's hand. "Now let's go buy this phone."

* * *

"You just got your phone," Emma said. "Who are you texting already?"

"Henry," Regina said. "I'm letting him know that we're on our way home."

R: _Want to make $10?_

H: _Duh. How am I earning this money?_

R: _It involves a little deceit..._

* * *

"Where were you guys?" Henry asked, walking into the foyer.

"We went phone shopping," Emma said, walking past Henry to go into the kitchen with their bags. "And some other shopping."

"Phone shopping?" Henry asked, turning to Regina.

Regina shrugged. "Emma thought that I should get a smartphone."

"And you did?" Henry asked. "Way to join the cool kids, mom!"

"No!" Emma shouted, running back into the room. "Please tell me that you did not just call your mom cool."

"Um, yeah?" Henry said. "Why is that a bad thing? Is she not supposed to be cool?"

"Of course it's not a bad thing," Regina said, before turning smugly to Emma. "Now then, don't you have some paperwork to get done?"

Emma groaned before leaving the room. Once she was gone, Regina pulled $10 out of her pocket and handed it to Henry. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Right back at you," Henry said, sticking the money into her pocket. "I wish her luck with all of that paperwork."


	101. Day 101: Swan-Mills Wedding

**This chapter is for Bal09121994 with the prompt: "Would you consider writing one of where Emma and Regina get married?"**

Regina stood in front of her mirror, smoothing her hands over her dress one last time. Today was the day that she was going to marry her best friend. Reflecting back on her life, Regina honestly had no idea how today was even possible. But with Emma, the impossible suddenly became possible.

"Nervous?" Henry asked from the doorway.

"Me? Nervous?" Regina scoffed. "Of course not."

Henry laughed before coming to stand next to her in the mirror. "You're such a liar."

Regina smiled. "I just want everything to go perfectly."

"It will," Henry said. "You guys have spent too much time on it for it not to."

Regina nodded before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "You're right. Today is going to go perfectly."

Henry smiled before handing her the bridal bouquet of red roses. "Come on. There's an aisle for you to walk down."

* * *

Emma stood at the altar, nervously shifting back and forth. "She better come down that aisle."

David laughed. "Of course she will. She's not one to run away."

"True that," Emma said. "Although I feel like that was a slight dig at me."

David shrugged before winking at her. Emma went to make a comment back at him, but the music started as the processional began. Bridesmaids walked down the aisle, and soon the whole wedding party was in their place.

The bride's music began, and the whole room stood as Regina appeared in the doorway. Emma gasped as she saw how beautiful that Regina truly looked in her gown. The room hushed as Regina walked down the aisle with Henry on her arm.

As they reached the altar, Henry kissed Regina on the cheek before moving to the side. Emma held out her hand, and Regina took it with a smile. The ceremony was about to begin.

Regina and Emma had decided that Archie would be the one to officiate their ceremony, even though he only had his credentials from the curse. But as Regina put it, "details didn't matter".

The beginning part of the ceremony went fast, at least to Regina and Emma. Before they knew it, it was time for their vows. After much debate, they had decided to write their own.

Emma pulled a little piece of paper from her pocket before unfolding it and clearing her throat. "I'm going to get through this without crying," she said, causing the room to laugh.

"Regina, from the moment that I saw you, I thought that you were beautiful. Not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. I saw past the scary demeanor that you put out there, and realized that you were someone who had the potential to understand me once you got your head out of your ass." The room laughed as Regina rolled her eyes affectionately.

Emma smiled before continuing. "But as we got to know each other more, I knew that I was falling in love with you. I had no doubt in my mind that we would drive each other nuts, but that in the end it would all be worth it. And it was. As I'm standing here in front of everyone about to marry you, I know that there is no place that I'd rather be. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you, and to finally have my happy ending."

Regina smiled at Emma before subtly wiping under her eyes. Snow squeezed her shoulder gently before handing her the paper with her vows. Regina cleared her throat before beginning. "Emma, I fell in love with you from the moment you arrived in this town. It confused me because I didn't think that I was capable of love anymore after everything that I had done as the Evil Queen. But as our relationship has grown, I've realized that I've finally found someone who understands me, and who understands that sometimes darkness is the easiest choice. You showed me that villains can get their happy endings, without having to lie and cheat to get it. I love you so much, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

The room was filled with happy smiles and many happy tears as people gazed at the two women at the altar. Regina and Emma exchanged rings, and sealed the ceremony with the traditional kiss.

The whole room cheered as they joined hands. Snow handed Regina her bouquet, and the newlyweds walked down the aisle, their wedding party following them out.

"We're married now," Emma said happily, squeezing Regina's hand.

"That we are," Regina said, squeezing back. "And I wouldn't have my happy ending any other way."

 **Did anyone catch the reference to another chapter? :)**


	102. Day 102: Mood Swings

**This chapter is for tae200243 with the prompt: "Can you do a baby sq one? Maybe Regina having a mood swing or one where Emma has one. Idk, I thought it'd be cute to see one caring for the other during pregnancy." This chapter has Regina pregnant with Lola.**

Emma walked into the mansion and was immediately met with a wide-eyed Henry. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Mom's going crazy!" Henry said, pulling her towards the front door. "We have to leave now while we can!"

Emma chuckled before pulling out of his grasp. "I'm sure it's not that bad. What is she doing?"

"She's making me clean like crazy, and keeps yelling at me when there's a little bit of dust on something," Henry said, glancing behind him to make sure that she wasn't listening to him. "And then minutes later she'll come back in and get all sappy about how nice of a son I am. I don't know what's happening!"

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. Hormones and mood swings were not a fun part of pregnancy. "She can't control it kid. Where is she at?"

"Kitchen I think," Henry said. "I'm gonna head back to my room. Good luck to you!" He saluted to her before walking up the stairs as quietly as possible.

Emma looked after him with a smile before heading into the kitchen. Regina was surveying the kitchen, as if making sure that there was nothing out of line.

"Nesting much?" Emma teased from the doorway.

Regina jumped before spinning to face her. "What are you doing, sneaking up on me like that? You could have given me a heart attack!"

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "Unlikely. Now what's with all of the cleaning?"

"This house is so unclean!" Regina exclaimed. "And there's so many things that we need to baby-proof. This room is like a chamber of death!"

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. That would get her nowhere, and would probably upset Regina. "The baby isn't going to be able to reach the counters."

Regina glared at her. "Someday it will. And when that day comes, I want to be ready."

Emma held up her hands in surrender. "I just don't want you to wear yourself out. Besides, you're scaring Henry."

Regina's eyes filled with tears. "I am? I didn't mean to."

Emma smiled at her. "Relax, it's fine. I explained mood swings to him, so he understands what's going on."

"Mood swings?" Regina asked, suddenly angry. "What do you mean, mood swings? As if you would know anything about this."

Emma looked like she'd been slapped before her eyes narrowed. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who carried Henry for 9 months. So yes, I'd say I know what I'm talking about." She turned and left the room before Regina could say anything.

Henry met her at the top of the stairs. "Is it safe to go downstairs now?"

"Sure kid," Emma said, walking past him. "That is, if you're okay with biting insults when you're only trying to help."

Henry looked after her and sighed. "I'm gonna take that as a no then."

* * *

Regina tentatively walked into the bedroom, freezing when the floor creaked. "Who's the one sneaking in now?" Emma asked from her spot by the window.

Regina smiled sheepishly before joining Emma at the window. "I owe you an apology for what I said downstairs. I wasn't thinking."

Emma sighed. "I know. I probably overreacted. It's fine. Trust me, I do know what mood swings are like."

"Not fun," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "Not fun."

"I suppose I owe Henry an apology as well?" Regina asked. "I did freak out on him several times."

"No, I think it's okay," Emma said. "His room is actually clean for once!"

They both started laughing. "So what do we do about my nesting?" Regina asked.

Emma pursed her lips in thought. Suddenly she came up with a brilliant idea. "We need to finish decorating the nursery."

"We do," Regina agreed. "That sounds like a perfect idea."

Emma smiled before kissing her. "Let's go decorate a nursery."


	103. Day 103: Evil Queen

Henry sat in the kitchen of the mansion, flipping through the pages of the storybook. Looking through it now, he couldn't believe all that his mom had done just to get her revenge. She couldn't have killed innocent people. Right?

"What're you reading?" Regina asked, walking into the room. She froze at the sight of the storybook. She was really starting to hate that thing.

Henry quickly closed the book. "Just looking at the pictures. Some of them are really pretty."

Regina sat down next to him and grabbed the book, flipping through it herself. She stopped at a page that had just her, Evil Queen and all, staring at the reader. "Look at what a monster I am."

Henry went to correct her, but found that he couldn't. Deep down, a part of him was still scared of what his mom could do.

"You are not a monster," Emma said, walking into the room. "You've changed, remember?"

"Not according to the book," Regina said, running her fingers over the page. "According to this, I'm just as much a monster now as I was before."

Emma looked to Henry to help her out, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. She glared at him before turning back to Regina. "What do I need to do to make you believe that you're not a monster?"

Regina looked at her sadly before standing up and walking away. She stopped in the doorway and looked back at Henry. "I see the way you look at me. I know that you're still hesitant around me. Which I understand. But there's more to the story than you know."

Emma glared at Henry as Regina left the room. "Nice going."

"I didn't do anything!" Henry said.

"Exactly!" Emma countered. "Why is it so hard for you to see that she's changed? She's not the Evil Queen anymore!"

Henry grabbed the book and held it up. "How can someone go from being this to being good? They can't. Once you're a villain, there's no going back."

"How would you know?" Emma asked. "Have you ever actually met her as the Evil Queen?"

Henry froze. "Well. Not exactly. But I've met her through the book."

Emma shook her head. "That's not the same thing. I have met the Evil Queen, and trust me when I say that your mom is nothing like her now."

"But she still could go back to her old ways," Henry argued.

Emma groaned before grabbing the storybook from him. Once in her hands, the book glowed before sucking Emma and Henry inside.

* * *

"Where are we?" Henry asked, looking at his surroundings.

"Best guess? Probably the Enchanted Forest," Emma said.

"We came through the storybook?" Henry asked. "That's cool and yet slightly frightening."

Emma turned at the sound of horse hooves. "Maybe that's someone who'll help us." She started to walk towards the sound, Henry following close behind.

As the carriage came into view, Emma's eyes widened, and she grabbed Henry's arm. "We need to hide. Right now."

"What? Why?" Henry asked. "It's just a carriage. Maybe that person could help us."

"Not likely," Emma said. "We don't have time to argue. Just trust me." Not waiting for a response, she pulled Henry quickly into the bushes just as the carriage came into view.

Emma silently hoped that the carriage would keep going. Unfortunately, the carriage stopped right in front of their hiding place. The door opened, and Regina stepped out.

"Mom?" Henry whispered. "Why are we hiding from her?"

"We're not hiding from your mom," Emma said. "We're hiding from the Evil Queen."

"But I thought that they were the same person?" Henry asked.

Emma shook her head. "Not at all kid. Not at all."

"Why did we stop?" Regina demanded, glaring at the knight driving her carriage.

"I beg your pardon Your Majesty," the knight said. "But I saw movement here and saw whoever it was dive into those bushes over there. I thought that you might like to investigate."

Slowly, an evil smile spread across Regina's face. She turned to the bushes that Emma and Henry were in, walking closer. "If you'd like a chance to live, I suggest that you come out this instant."

Emma grabbed Henry's arm before standing up. Regina's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the two people standing before her. "What unusual clothing," she said.

"We aren't from her Your Majesty," Emma said politely. "We are just passing through."

Regina looked at them skeptically. "Then why hide? Unless you're lying and helping Snow White on her journey."

"We haven't seen her," Emma said, squeezing Henry's arm before he could talk. "And we were hiding because we didn't want any trouble."

"I see," Regina said. She looked at Henry. "And is your son mute?"

Henry tensed as she addressed him. "No, I can speak."

Regina chuckled at his obvious fear before turning and walking back to her carriage. "Today is your lucky day. I'm feeling generous. If anyone asks, I wasn't here. Understood?" She looked back at Emma and Henry, who both quickly nodded.

Regina smiled in satisfaction before climbing into her carriage. As soon as it was out of sight, Emma and Henry both relaxed.

"I have never been so scared in my entire life," Henry said.

"Now do you see what I mean?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded. "The Evil Queen and my mom are totally different people." Emma smiled at him as gold light surrounded them both.

* * *

"We're home," Henry said, relieved. He quickly closed the storybook and pushed it away. "I'm going to stay away from that for awhile."

Emma laughed. "I think it was my magic that transported us. I wanted you to see how the Evil Queen and your mom are different."

"And they sure are," Henry said. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"Upstairs probably," Emma said. Henry jumped up from his chair and immediately starting running up the stairs to Regina's room. Emma smiled before following him.

Henry stopped in front of Regina's door, hesitantly opening it. Regina turned and looked at him from her spot on the bed, quickly wiping her cheeks.

Henry mentally hit himself for causing his mom pain. Quickly crossing the room, he climbed onto the bed and hugged Regina tightly. At first she tensed, but quickly relaxed and hugged him back.

"I'm sorry," Henry mumbled. "I never meant to doubt you or how you've changed. You're nothing like the Evil Queen."

Regina smiled sadly before pulling away from him. "And how would you know that?"

"Because I met the Evil Queen," Henry said.

Regina's eyes widened. "You what?"

"Met the Evil Queen," Henry said. "Emma's magic transported us into my storybook and we ran into you."

Regina's jaw dropped and she pulled away from Henry. "You saw me? As the Evil Queen?"

"Yeah," Henry said, confused by her reaction.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" Regina asked.

"No," Henry said reassuringly. "Just acted intimidating and kinda scary. No one got hurt though."

"I scared you?" Regina asked, horrified. This was the last thing that she had ever wanted. Henry was never supposed to meet the Evil Queen, that's why she had changed.

"Just a little," Henry admitted. Regina winced, and Henry turned helplessly to Emma, who was standing in the doorway. This had not gone as planned.

Emma walked into the room, sitting right in front of Regina. She grabbed Regina's hands, getting her attention. "My magic took us into the story so that Henry could learn the difference between his mom and the Evil Queen. Yes, we both were scared. But the Evil Queen was the one who scared us. Not you."

"But we're the same person," Regina argued.

"No. You're not," Henry said, scooting closer. "I met the Evil Queen today, and you are nothing like her. I didn't realize it until now, but you've changed a lot for me. You're not the Evil Queen anymore. You're just my mom."

Emma smiled proudly at him. Mission accomplished. She pulled Regina to her and hugged her tightly. A couple seconds later, Henry joined in. Regina smiled as she felt love surround her completely. The Evil Queen was no more.


	104. Day 104: Bully

Henry was sitting on a bench during recess. He was reading the storybook, as he did everyday, simply because he learned something new every time.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. "Reading that storybook again?"

"Hi James," Henry said, not even looking up.

"How'd you know it was me?" James asked.

"You're the only person I know that walks like he has a stick up his butt all the time," Henry said, finally looking up from the book to smirk at James.

The two boys behind James snickered, but stopped at James' glare. "Funny. Just because you're the mayor's son doesn't mean that you can talk to me like that."

"You came over here," Henry pointed out. "No one asked you to talk to me. And I'm more than just the mayor's son. I have another mom."

James snorted. "Right, right. I forgot about the Savior. Kind of weird though. Having two moms."

Henry glared at him. He took James' bullying everyday, but when his family got involved, then things got ugly. "It's not weird."

James smirked at him. "Maybe not to you. But the rest of the town thinks that it's weird that the Evil Queen and the Savior are dating AND have a son together."

"It's not weird," Henry growled, slamming the storybook closed. "And she's the former Evil Queen."

"Once an Evil Queen, always an Evil Queen," James taunted.

"Shut up," Henry said, standing up.

James just laughed. "You think that you're so tough? All you do is read a storybook everyday like a pretty little princess, while getting coddled at home by your two mommies."

"I said shut up!" Henry shouted. He blamed his genes from Emma on what happened next. Before he knew what was happening, James was on the ground, blood gushing from his nose.

"Mom's gonna kill me," Henry mumbled.

* * *

Regina stormed into the sheriff station. Emma saw her coming and exchanged a glance with David before quickly getting up and jogging to intercept her.

"We have to go to Henry's school," Regina said. "There's been a little issue."

"Okay," Emma said. "Does it have anything to do with the fury practically coming off of you in waves?"

"Yes," Regina said. "Now let's go."

"Hold on," Emma said, grabbing Regina's arm. "You need to calm down first."

Regina sighed. "We don't have time for this."

"I'm sure the situation at school can wait," Emma said. "If you walk in like that right now, it's not going to accomplish anything."

"Henry punched another boy in the face," Regina said. "I'm sure that you can understand my anger. I raised him better than that." She went to pull away, but Emma held on tighter.

"You don't know the whole story," Emma said. "You did raise Henry better than that, so clearly something happened that made him snap."

"I didn't think of that," Regina said. She visibly relaxed, and Emma smiled.

"Now we can go to the school," Emma said.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Henry said quickly as Regina and Emma entered the principal's office.

Emma chuckled as she sat down next to him. "Relax kid. We're here to listen first and then kill you."

"So you're not mad?" Henry asked, looking at Regina.

"Let's hear the whole story first," Regina said, sitting next to Emma. "Then I can decide how mad I am."

"I'd like to hear the whole story as well," Principal Walker said. "You're normally a very well-behaved boy. What happened?"

Henry looked down at his hands. "James was making fun of me and I got angry. That's all."

"Why was he making fun of you?" Principal Walker asked.

"I was reading my storybook," Henry said, still looking down.

"Don't you read it everyday?" Regina asked.

Henry shrugged. "Yeah."

"There's something that you're not telling us," Emma said. "If you read your book everyday, and he makes fun of you every time you read it, why would you suddenly punch him for it?"

"I got fed up," Henry mumbled.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Wrong answer. Try again."

For once, Regina was thankful for Emma's "superpower". "You can tell us, no matter what it is," she said.

Henry sighed. "James kept saying how weird it was that I had two moms."

Emma and Regina looked at each other with wide eyes. They had assumed that the town wouldn't be okay with their relationship. But to target their son?

"Henry," Emma said, tugging his chin gently until he looked at her. "Not everyone is going to be okay with our family. And that's their opinion. But just because they disagree doesn't mean that you resort to violence."

"I know," Henry said. "But then how do I deal with him?"

"Leave that to me," Principal Walker said. "But in the meantime, I think we can come up with a nice response the next time James approaches you."

* * *

Henry sat in his usual spot on the bench, once again reading the book. He was starting to really notice the little details, and some objects that he could probably find in Gold's shop for a birthday present.

"There's the tattle-tale," James said, walking up to Henry. "Had to go and tell the principal on me, did you?"

Henry shrugged. "I was already in his office for punching you."

James laughed. "You only punched me because I made fun of your mommies."

Henry rolled his eyes before closing the book and putting it into his backpack. He put his backpack on before walking past James to another part of the playground. "Some kids have two moms," Henry called back. "Get over it."


	105. Day 105: Another One?

"Will you relax?" Regina said, chuckling. "They just invited us over for dinner."

"Yeah and when do they ever do that?" Emma asked. "The answer is never. They don't invite us over for anything because it usually ends badly."

"They're your parents," Regina said. "Maybe they just want to see you."

"Then why tell me to bring you along?" Emma asked.

"To keep you calm," Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand and squeezing gently. "Stop always assuming the worst."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, because the last time they invited us over for dinner they had fantastic news to tell us."

Regina winced. "Okay so inviting us over and then telling us that they're having a big birthday party for Neal was not the best news. But they just want you to be involved in his life."

Emma sighed as she parked the bug. "I know. But I just have a feeling that tonight is not going to go well."

Regina smiled before kissing her gently. "Then it's a good thing that we're here together."

* * *

Regina and Emma exchanged glances. So far dinner had gone smoothly, but Emma still had a bad feeling in her gut. But asking about Snow and David's real motives for the evening might not go over well.

"Perhaps we should move to a comfier spot," Snow said, standing up. "David and I have something to tell you."

"Knew it," Emma mumbled. Regina rolled her eyes affectionately before pulling Emma out of her chair and over to where Snow and David were sitting.

"So what's up?" Emma asked. "Everything okay?"

"Of course," David said. "More than okay actually. We have some very exciting news to share with you."

"Okay…" Emma said skeptically.

Snow and David smiled at each other. "We're having another baby!"

Emma froze and Regina mentally cursed. Emma was never going to step foot back in the apartment again.

"You're what?" Emma whispered. Her brain was still trying to process what was going on.

"Having another baby," Snow said excitedly. "Now Neal will also get to experience being an older sibling. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Emma mumbled. "Would you excuse me a moment?" She got up without waiting for a response and quickly left the room.

Regina sighed. "You two make family dinners very difficult."

"We thought that she would be happy," David said in confusion. "She was when Neal was born."

Regina rolled her eyes. "She acted happy for you two idiots."

Snow winced. "She did seem to shut down whenever we mentioned babysitting for us."

"I'm going to go persuade her to come back here," Regina said, standing up. "Think about what you want to say now."

* * *

Regina sat next to Emma on her old bed in the loft. "Penny for your thoughts."

Emma chuckled. "You don't want to know what I'm thinking right now."

"Of course I do," Regina said. "So what's going on?"

Emma sighed. "This is probably going to be their room. They'll argue over who gets what side of the room, and they'll get scolded by David for arguing too loudly while he and Snow make dinner. They'll have a family."

"The family that you never had," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "They get a normal childhood, where they'll get loved by a mom and dad. I'm the same age as my parents. It's like Neal and the new baby aren't even my actual siblings."

"You think that they'll get a normal childhood?" Regina asked. "They live in a town with fairytale characters. That's pretty far from normal."

Emma smiled. "Fair point."

"So let's go back downstairs, and I'm sure your parents have something they want to say to you," Regina said, pulling Emma gently to her feet.

"You yelled at them, didn't you?" Emma asked.

"Yell, no. Scold, of course," Regina said, smiling. "I'm always looking for a chance to scold your parents on their failed parenting."

Emma laughed and followed Regina downstairs, where Snow and David were waiting. As soon as Snow saw Emma, she quickly walked over and hugged her tightly.

"You will always be our daughter," Snow said. "No matter how many babies we have, you will always be our first baby."

Emma smiled and hugged Snow back. "I'm happy for you guys, really. Just a lot to take in."

"We know," David said. "It's a lot for us too. If it makes you feel any better, I still have no idea how to change a diaper without gagging."

Emma laughed. She may not have experienced being raised by her parents, but they were still her parents. No matter what.


	106. Day 106: School Play

"Remind me again why I have to be here?" Emma asked, sitting next to Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Because you are his mother and your support is appreciated. Besides, he's a lead."

"Playing a lead in a school play does not count," Emma said. "Especially when the director is your grandmother."

Regina laughed. "You make a good point. Regardless, I'm going to enjoy Henry being Hamlet. It's probably the only time I'll ever see him interested in Shakespeare."

"He was only interested because there's sword fighting involved," Emma said.

"As if you wouldn't be excited to sword fight," Regina teased.

Emma laughed. "Oh you know I would."

The auditorium got quiet as the curtain opened, revealing the two boys playing Barnardo and Francisco starting the play. Emma shifted in her chair and got comfortable. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Regina chuckled before nudging Emma. "This is probably the twentieth time that I've had to wake you up."

Emma yawned before sitting up. "Not my fault that Shakespeare is boring."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well stay awake. Henry's about to start his big monologue."

"His what?" Emma asked.

"Just pay attention," Regina said, chuckling. Emma huffed in annoyance before turning her attention back to the stage.

Henry walked up to the front of the stage as a spotlight came to shine just on him. He took a deep breath, and recited the monologue that was so widely known.

"To be or not to be-that is the question:  
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer  
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,  
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,  
And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep-  
No more-and by a sleep to say we end  
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks  
That flesh is heir to-'tis a consummation  
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-  
To sleep, perchance to dream. Aye, there's the rub,  
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,  
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,  
Must give us pause. There's the respect  
That makes calamity of so long life.  
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,  
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,  
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,  
The insolence of office, and the spurns  
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,  
When he himself might his quietus make  
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,  
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,  
But that the dread of something after death,  
The undiscovered country from whose bourn  
No traveler returns, puzzles the will  
And makes us rather bear those ills we have  
Than fly to others that we know not of?  
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,  
And thus the native hue of resolution  
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,  
And enterprises of great pitch and moment,  
With this regard their currents turn awry,  
And lose the name of action.-Soft you now,  
The fair Ophelia.-Nymph, in thy orisons  
Be all my sins remembered."

As he walked offstage, the audience erupted in thunderous applause; Regina and Emma included.

"Who knew?" Emma asked. "The kid's actually really good."

Regina laughed. "He's been practicing that in front of his mirror for over a month."

"He has?" Emma asked. "I am going to have to give him a really hard time for that."

"Don't you dare," Regina scolded. "He was embarrassed enough when he was even casted in this play. He tried out just to make your mother happy."

Emma smiled at Regina before nudging her gently. "You did one heck of a job raising him."

Regina smiled back at her. "I really did, didn't I?"


	107. Day 107: Chernabog

_Emma drove as fast as she could towards the town line as the Chernabog flew over them. She had to get this thing over the town line without losing Regina. That wasn't an option._

 _Regina glanced back at the beast before turning back around and looking at her surroundings. "What made you choose yellow?"_

 _Emma turned to look at her quickly before turning her attention back to the road. "What?"_

" _Your bug," Regina said, looking at Emma. "Yellow? Bold choice."_

" _I like yellow. I stole it. Is this really the time to question my taste?" Emma asked, glancing in the rearview mirror._

" _Sorry," Regina said, looking out her window. "I'm just trying not to think about being some demon's lunch."_

" _You're not going to be," Emma said, looking in her side mirror._

" _I'm glad you're confident," Regina said._

 _The Chernabog landed on the car, scaring both women. It pulled back a hand before slamming it against the top of the car._

" _What is this thing made of, tin?" Regina asked._

" _Hang on, we're almost there," Emma said, staring straight ahead. She had to get to the town line._

 _The Chernabog chose that moment to lean over the edge of the car, looking straight into the car at Emma. Emma swerved, hoping to lose the Chernabog. Instead, the Chernabog hung on before punching through the glass of the windshield. Emma and Regina both brought their arms up to cover their faces from the glass._

" _It's too late," Regina said. "I'm not going to let both of us die in this metal coffin on wheels."_

 _Emma swerved the car left and right, trying to force the Chernabog to lose his grip. With every movement, the Chernabog grabbed the car tighter, hanging on._

 _Regina turned to Emma. "Thanks for trying Ms. Swan."_

 _Emma glanced at her. "What?"_

 _Regina disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. "Regina!" Emma said._

 _The Chernabog stuck his hand through the hole that he had made in the windshield, grabbing at Emma. She waved her arm, as if swatting away a pesky fly instead of a monster._

 _Regina stood at the town line, waving her hands over her head. "Hey!"_

 _The Chernabog looked at her before roaring. Emma sped up the car, looking intensely ahead. As she got closer to the town line, she slammed on the brakes, successfully dislodging the Chernabog from the top of the bug. Regina ducked, and the Chernabog flew over the town line, dissolving into nothing._

* * *

Emma knew that she and Regina were both alive. But they could have died today. And that scared Emma more than anything.

She parked her bug outside of the mansion before getting out. Regina would probably think that she was crazy, but Emma didn't care. Whether Regina liked it or not, they were friends. Emma hoped that one day they could be more than that, but that didn't matter.

Walking to the front door, Emma rang the doorbell. She waited for a while before thinking about leaving. As she turned to go, the door opened.

"Ms. Swan?" Regina said in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"You can call me Emma you know," Emma teased. "It won't kill you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Emma shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure that you were okay. You know, with the whole Chernabog thing."

Regina looked at her curiously. "I could ask you the same thing. You don't look very well."

"I'm fine," Emma said. "And clearly so are you, so I'll just go." She turned to leave. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

"Emma," Regina called. Emma turned back to her. "Why don't you come inside? I have a feeling that you want to talk about something."

Emma nodded before walking inside. Regina closed the door before leading the way to the living room. "Where's Henry?" Emma asked.

"Upstairs sleeping," Regina said. "It's 11 at night."

"It is?" Emma asked, looking at the clock on the fireplace. "I didn't even realize."

Regina looked at her with concern before sitting on the couch. She cleared her throat, getting Emma's attention, before patting the cushion next to her. Emma smiled before sitting down.

"So what's going on?" Regina asked. "Are you okay?"

Emma sighed before looking at her hands. "When we were driving today, away from the Chernabog, all I could think about was how I couldn't lose you."

Regina's eyes widened. "You were?"

"Well yeah," Emma said. "You're basically my best friend. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if the Chernabog had gotten you today. I didn't want to imagine it."

Regina reached out and placed her hand over Emma's. Emma looked at her in surprise. "You know why I left your bug to sacrifice myself? Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. Regina smiled. "Because I couldn't imagine losing you either."

Emma's eyes widened before she smiled back at Regina. In that moment, Emma caught a glimpse of love flash in Regina's eyes. They may not act on it now, but one day, they would be together. As a couple.


	108. Day 108: Need You Now

**This chapter is for wicked73 with the prompt: "** **How about an angsty one based on Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now'"** **.** **I wrote this chapter while listening to the song, so if you want to, listen to the song while you read this chapter :)**

Emma couldn't sleep. Again. It was starting to become a recurring pattern these days. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone, scrolling until she got to Regina's name in her contacts.

Emma smiled at Regina's contact photo, tears starting to gather in her eyes. She selected the call button. She knew that Regina wouldn't pick up, but just hearing her voice in her voicemail was better than nothing.

 _This is Mayor Regina Mills. I'm either with my family or trying to defeat some kind of monster. Leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can._

At the beep, Emma hung up. She was thankful that she could still hear Regina's voice through phone, even if she would never pick up.

Sighing, Emma decided that she needed a drink. Getting up, she went down to the kitchen of the mansion. Even though it pained Emma to stay there, Henry had refused to leave. This was his home, and it reminded him of the good old days.

Pouring herself a glass of apple flavored whiskey; Emma sat on a stool by the kitchen counter. Regina had hated the idea of having whiskey in the house, but had changed her mind when she had realized that it was apple flavored. Apples had always been her weakness.

Emma picked up her glass before walking into the living room. She headed to the fireplace before picking up one of the pictures there. It had been from Henry's birthday, and the three of them were all smiling happily at the camera.

"I miss her too," Henry said, walking into the room.

Emma set the picture down before crossing the room and sitting on the couch. Henry came over and joined her, putting his head on her shoulder.

Emma sighed. "I don't know what to do anymore. Everything reminds me of her."

"Believe me, I know," Henry said. "I can't even open the storybook anymore. Even the Evil Queen is hard to see. It's still her."

Emma put an arm around him and set down her glass. "We should try and get some sleep."

Henry yawned. "Probably. But I know that you haven't been sleeping."

Emma shrugged. "I'm just having troubles falling asleep. It's hard getting used to not having her to fall asleep next to."

"I can't fall asleep either," Henry admitted. "I'm used to her hugs every night."

Emma sighed. "Who knew that the Evil Queen would end up being the person that we loved the most?"

Henry smiled. "Kind of ironic."

Emma chuckled. "Very ironic."

Henry yawned again, but tried to hide it. He didn't want to leave Emma by herself. Emma noticed his hidden yawn and stood up, pulling him with her. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

"But neither of us is actually going to fall asleep," Henry argued.

Emma thought back to a story that Regina had told her about Henry. She had told Emma about how when Henry was little, he would sleep with her sometimes. Looking at him, Emma saw that little boy.

"I think I have a solution to our little sleeping problem," Emma said.

"You do?" Henry asked.

Emma smiled gently before walking upstairs to Henry's room. Henry looked at her in confusion as she got under the covers before patting the spot next to her.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked, getting in next to her.

"Killing two birds with one stone," Emma said, pulling him in for a hug. "I can't sleep without someone next to me, and you can't sleep without a hug."

Henry smiled before snuggling up next to her. In a matter of minutes, both of them were fast asleep.

 **I had to throw in the bit with the picture for Henry's birthday because his birthday was yesterday and I missed it. Whoops. I also realized that I never did tell you guys what the hidden reference was in Day 101 with the wedding. Amywood.581, you were right. Regina's bouquet had red roses in it, a reference to Day 17. Seems like so long ago, right?**

 **Challenge for you guys. Review with one word. That's all that I need for a prompt. It would be greatly appreciated!**


	109. Day 109: Lightning Strike

**I can't believe how many of you reviewed! That makes me so happy :) Anyway, this chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Lightning"**

 **Also, I would normally do this via PM, but Guest reviewers don't have accounts to message. Anywho, to the reviewer Guest, the prompt that you gave me is very close to Day 99...so I won't be doing it. Sorry!**

 **On to the chapter!**

Regina loved the sound of rain. She found it soothing. However, thunder and lightning left something to be desired. It didn't bother her, but she knew that it bothered Emma.

Regina had come home from work one night to see the light in her bedroom on. It was late at night, so late in fact that Emma should have been sleeping. Opening the door, Regina had seen an Emma shaped lump under her bed. Smiling, Regina had lifted the covers up gently to see Emma fast asleep with a pillow covering her head. When Emma had woken up, they had talked about it.

Emma had been afraid of thunder and lightning for as long as she could remember. At the first sign of a storm, she would hide in a place where she couldn't see the lightning, and the thunder was just a small rumble.

After that first storm, Regina would always drop whatever she was doing to go and try to comfort Emma, even if she was at work. But this time was going to be different. She was going to help Emma conquer her fear.

"Emma?" Regina called, walking in the front door. She didn't expect an answer, but thought that she would try anyway.

The storm was just starting, so Regina knew that Emma had just found a hiding place. If she had to guess, Emma was probably in their bed like the first time that Regina had found her.

Opening the door to their bedroom, Regina's heart clenched as she saw Emma under the covers. Walking over, Regina sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hi," Emma said through the blanket.

Regina chuckled. "Hi there. Comfy?"

"As much as I can be during a storm," Emma said. "It helps not to be able to see anything though."

Regina bit her lip. She didn't want to force Emma to do anything. But Emma's fear was starting to get worse. Reaching out, Regina gently pulled the covers off until she could see Emma's face.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Helping you," Regina said. She snapped her fingers, changing into her pajamas before climbing into bed next to Emma.

"Helping me?" Emma asked. She winced as she saw a flash of lightning, before trying to pull the covers back over her head.

Regina reached out her hand and stopped Emma. "Helping you." She reached over with her other hand and shut off the light.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you," Regina said simply. "Roll over and face the window."

"Are you crazy?" Emma asked. "There's no way that I'm doing that. Turn the light back on."

"No," Regina said. "I know that you hate feeling fear. The only way that your fear is going to go away is if you conquer it. Which we're going to do."

"We are?" Emma whimpered.

Regina smiled gently. "Turn towards the window."

Several beats passed before Emma slowly rolled over to face the window. Her eyes were tightly clenched shut, but she still winced as lightning flashed.

"Open your eyes," Regina commanded gently.

Emma shook her head. "I'm good. I'm really really good."

"Emma," Regina said. "Open up your eyes. I'm right here." She lay down next to Emma and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

Emma relaxed in the comfort of Regina's embrace. Letting out the breath that she had been holding, Emma opened her eyes. "This isn't so bad."

Regina smiled. "That would be because lightning hasn't flashed yet."

"Not true," Emma argued. Lightning flashed and she winced, shifting deeper into Regina's embrace. "Never mind."

Regina chuckled. "It should pass soon."

"If it was during the day it wouldn't be so bad," Emma mumbled. "It only scares me at night." Lightning flashed again and Emma winced before jumping at the sound of thunder.

Regina glanced over at the clock. "It's getting late. We should try and get some sleep."

"I never sleep during thunderstorms," Emma said. "Not unless the light is on."

"Consider this another part of your conquering," Regina said.

"Do I have to keep facing the window?" Emma asked.

Regina thought about it. "No. You can face me. But the light stays off."

"Fine," Emma grumbled, turning over. She snuggled into Regina's embrace, and fell asleep shortly after. In Regina's arms, any fear could be conquered.

 **Fun fact, Emma during this chapter is based off of me. I'm terrified of lightning and thunder, but rain doesn't bother me. I'm still scared of them, and I have to sleep with a light on so I can't see the lightning. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	110. Day 110: Soothing Sounds

**This chapter is for tvaddict2011 with the prompt: "Ocean"**

Emma sat on the beach, the cool breeze blowing her hair behind her. The sound of the waves was calming, making her forget just for a moment that she was in a magical town full of magical problems.

"There you are," Regina said in relief. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Have you?" Emma asked. "Sorry. I got distracted."

"By what?" Regina asked, standing next to her. She may love Emma, but there was no way that she was going to get her outfit dirty.

Emma smiled out at the ocean. "That."

"The ocean?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "It's just so soothing. When I was younger, I would always run away to go somewhere near the ocean. The sound always calmed me and helped me to forget my problems."

Regina snapped her fingers and a blanket appeared next to Emma. She sat down before closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of the ocean. It _was_ calming.

Regina opened her eyes and saw Emma smiling at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Emma said, looking back out at the ocean.

"Nuh uh," Regina said. "What's that smile for?"

"Look down," Emma said, chuckling.

Regina looked at the sand and realized that her blanket was gone. "Emma!"

Emma laughed as Regina pushed her away. "You are such a pain in the ass," Regina said, chuckling.

"It's sand," Emma said, a huge grin on her face. "It'll just brush off."

Regina stuck her tongue out at her. A comfortable silence settled over the two women, and they both gazed out at the ocean.

"How many times did you run away?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. "More than my social worker would have liked. But every time that I got comfy, something always came up and I was sent to the next home. I would just get fed up with being sent to the next home, so I'd run."

"Where did you run to?" Regina asked.

"The ocean," Emma said. "Or if there wasn't one nearby, I would find a way to get to one. Eventually my social worker figured out the pattern and started sending me to families with houses by an ocean."

"And you liked it there?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "It was nice because I could leave the house and just go to the ocean. But usually the families were rich snobs."

Regina laughed. "Every one of them?"

"Okay I take that back," Emma said. "There was one family that weren't snobs. But it was because they were an older couple."

"Older couples foster?" Regina asked.

"They couldn't have kids when they were younger, so they had adopted kids that were in the foster system. Those kids told the couple what the system was like, and they were determined to get as many kids out as they could," Emma said. "They were well known as a couple that always got kids adopted. So I arrived at their house with a lot of hope."

"What happened?" Regina asked. She knew that Emma had never gotten adopted.

"The same thing that happens every time that I get my hopes up. Something bad happens. The husband had a stroke. A bad one. They kept me as long as they could, but I knew that they were running out of money between taking care of me and his medical bills. They had to send me back," Emma said.

Regina reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing gently. Emma took a deep breath. "After that, I gave up all hope. But I still ran away to the ocean. There was finally a time that I ran away and my social worker couldn't find me."

"You escaped your social worker?" Regina asked. "Wouldn't you have come up as a Missing Person?"

Emma chuckled. "No one cared where I was. Not at that point. She assumed that I had found someplace to go."

Regina squeezed her hand again before pulling her in for a hug. "Do you still have no hope?"

"Some days I don't," Emma said. "But then I look at you, and my parents, and Henry, and I realize that I don't need to hope anymore. I'm happy where I am."

Regina smiled before kissing the top of her head. They sat together and listened to the soothing sounds of the ocean, both in love and happy.


	111. Day 111: Sharing Nightmares

**This chapter is for Post13writer with the prompt: "Absorbing"**

Emma jolted awake as she felt Regina bolt up, panting. Another nightmare. Sitting up, Emma wrapped her arms around Regina before pulling her close.

"Sorry for waking you up," Regina mumbled.

"No need to apologize," Emma said. "I'm always here for when you need me."

Regina sighed. "I still feel bad about it. It's like you never sleep anymore because of me."

"So let's stop the nightmares," Emma suggested. "There has to be some kind of spell that would connect us so that I could see whatever it is you're dreaming about. Maybe sharing it will take some of the weight off of you."

Regina looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you crazy?"

Emma smiled at her. "I thought we had already determined that I am. But I'm serious. You helped me with my magic once, now let me help you with your nightmares."

"Absorbing some of your magic is different than sharing my nightmares," Regina argued. "Trust me, you don't want to see what I dream about."

"But I do," Emma countered. "You don't have to do this alone. Let me help."

Regina bit her lip before nodding. This normally wouldn't be possible, but your True Love could connect to you in a way no one else could. She had read about the spell one day when she had stolen her mother's spell book, hoping to memorize everything in it before she was found out. This was one of the spells that she had memorized.

Pulling out of Emma's embrace, Regina took Emma's hand and pressed it gently to her forehead. Emma looked at her in confusion until she felt the magic and love rippling through her.

"What was that?" Emma asked as Regina finished the spell.

"That would be the spell to allow you to see my dreams," Regina said. "True Love is a powerful thing."

Emma smiled. She loved hearing Regina talking about True Love. "So let's get back to sleep."

Regina sighed before lying back down. "I warned you about what you're about to see. But just as another warning, what you're about to see is not your typical nightmare."

"What is it then?" Emma asked, already half-asleep. She almost didn't hear Regina's response.

"A memory."

* * *

 _Regina ran into her room, quickly hiding under her bed. This was where she used to hide when she was younger, but she still fit and had decided to hide there again._

 _She hadn't meant to spill the tea onto her dress. The teapot had just been hotter than she was expecting, and she had dropped it, spilling tea everywhere. Her mother had been furious, so Regina had fled from the table before Cora could do anything._

 _The door to Regina's room flew open with a bang, and Regina had to cover her mouth to keep from whimpering. Her mother was scary, and not in a normal way._

 _Cora walked around the room, searching for her daughter. There weren't very many places that Regina could hide in her room, but lately she had been getting more creative. She had almost gotten away once before she had made the floorboard creak._

 _Hiding under her bed, Regina watched Cora's feet as they began to leave the room. Would she actually get away with spilling the tea? If Cora didn't find her, she could climb out her window and run for it. She would be free._

 _Suddenly, Regina felt herself being pulled out from under her bed by magic. She screamed in surprise before looking up at her mother, who was glaring at her with hate._

" _You thought that you would get away this time, didn't you?" Cora taunted, looking down at her daughter._

 _Regina shook her head, but she knew that the answer would be evident in her eyes. She really had to work on her poker face._

 _Cora reached out and Regina felt magic close around her throat, cutting off her air. She reached for her throat, as if trying to fight off the invisible hand that was there. Black spots started to dance across her vision, before the darkness overcame her._

* * *

Emma bolted upright, gasping for air. Regina sat up next to her, also breathing heavily. "Told you that you didn't want to know what my nightmares were about," she teased.

"How can you even joke about that?" Emma asked. "She was choking you!"

"I wasn't joking," Regina said. "I was trying to lighten the mood. And trust me, that's only a piece of what she did. That's just what she did the most."

"What else did she do?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Everything she did, she did with magic. That way it never left scars that others would see, but it would still hurt."

"How often did she do that?" Emma asked.

Regina didn't even hesitate with her answer. "Everyday."

Emma's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Everyday," Regina repeated. "Some days it was only once and she would leave me alone. Other days, it would be several times."

"How could she do that to her own daughter?" Emma asked.

Regina grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Because I wasn't her daughter. Not really anyway. She didn't have her heart, so she couldn't feel love. It's easier to hurt someone when you don't love them at all."

"That's awful," Emma said.

Regina smiled at her sympathetically before gently squeezing her hand. "The spell wears off after one use, so you won't have to go through it anymore."

Emma bit her lip before looking at Regina hesitantly. "Is there any way to make it permanent?"

Regina's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Is there any way to make the spell permanent?" Emma repeated. "So that I see your dreams every night."

"No," Regina said. "Absolutely not."

"There isn't one, or you don't want to?" Emma challenged.

"Both," Regina said. "The spell is only temporary, and I definitely don't want you in my dreams every night."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "Because the nightmare that you witnessed tonight was one of her good days. And then there are the nightmares about Leopold. I stand by my views of absolutely not."

Emma sighed before flopping dramatically onto the bed. Regina chuckled and rolled her eyes before lying down next to her.

"I'm not showing you for your protection," Regina whispered. "I don't want you to see all that I went through."

"But that's the funny thing," Emma whispered back. "When you love someone, you want to help them. Even if it is absorbing some of their pain from nightmares."

Regina looked at her in shock. "Okay."

Emma smiled. "So the spell can be permanent?"

"No," Regina said. "But I can choose how long that temporary is."

Emma smiled before kissing her. "Let's battle some nightmares."


	112. Day 112: Daycare and M&M's

**This chapter is for M E HC with the prompt: "M &M's" Some Swan-Mills family fluff for you :)**

"Are you sure that her bag is fully packed?" Regina asked.

Emma chuckled. "Yes Regina. I packed it myself."

"That why I'm asking," Regina said, opening the bag to check it.

Emma rolled her eyes. "She's going to daycare, not a camping trip."

Regina glared at her. "I just want everything to be fine. I'm not even sure that she's going to like daycare. You know how she gets whenever we have someone else watch her."

"Daycare is totally different than being babysat by my parents," Emma said. "She'll get to play with other little kids."

Lola ran into the room, Ava hot on her trail. "I done getting dressed!"

"No you're not," Ava said, panting. "You don't have any pants on."

Lola looked down at her legs and giggled. "Whoopsie." Ava rolled her eyes affectionately before grabbing Lola's hand and leading her back to their bedroom.

Regina watched them both leave before turning to Emma. "What if she doesn't get along with the other kids? What if the adults treat her differently because she's the daughter of the Evil Queen?"

Emma grabbed both of her hands. "Calm down. You know how friendly that Lola is. I'm pretty sure she'll make friends right away. And she's the daughter of the _former_ Evil Queen and the Savior. No one is going to be mean to her."

"You don't know that," Regina argued.

"And you don't know that people are going to be mean to her," Emma countered. "Just let her go for this first day, and we'll go from there."

Regina sighed as Lola ran back into the room, this time with pants on. "Now I ready!"

Regina chuckled before kneeling down to Lola's level. "We're going to do something different today."

Lola looked at her skeptically. "Different?"

"Good different," Regina said. "You're going to go play with other little boys and girls instead of going to work with me."

"But I wanna go with you," Lola pouted.

Regina smiled before tucking a piece of Lola's hair behind her ear. "I know. But you need to meet other kids your age and learn some stuff too."

"Do I have to?" Lola asked, using her puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah," Regina said. "You have to. But I'll come at the end of the day and pick you up just like I do with Henry and Ava from school."

Lola seemed to think about it before nodding. "Okay."

* * *

Regina stood outside of the daycare, fidgeting as she waited for Lola to come out of the doors. Emma joined her, leaning casually against the car. "You haven't stopped worrying all day, have you?"

"Nope," Regina admitted.

Emma chuckled before grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "You worry way too much about her. She's so social, I'm sure she made friends with everyone in her class."

"Or she made no friends and hated it," Regina countered, earning an eye roll from Emma.

"Must you always look on the down side of things?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Habit."

Both women looked towards the doors as little kids started running outside. The teachers looked frazzled as they tried to herd all of them back together, but to no avail. Little kids ran to their parents, most of who were already waiting.

Regina held her breath as Lola left the building. She looked like she had enjoyed the day, but Lola could have inherited Emma's and Regina's poker faces.

Upon seeing her mothers, Lola took off running towards them with a huge smile on her face. Regina scooped her up and gave her a big hug, happy to see her little girl smiling.

"So how was it?" Regina asked.

"Really good!" Lola said excitedly. "We played games, and practiced our letters, and got M&M's for a snack!"

Emma laughed. "See? She was totally fine. They had M&M's."

Regina rolled her eyes before nudging Emma playfully. "I can't help my worrying. She's my baby."

"No," Lola protested. "I'm a big girl!"

Regina and Emma laughed. Regina tickled her before kissing her on the cheek. "That's right. Big girls go to daycare."

 **I don't know about you guys, but I seriously love Lola. Not just because she's my creation (although that's part of it) but because she's so freaking adorable.**


	113. Day 113: Memory Lane

**This chapter is for amywood.581 with the prompt: "Tree house"**

When Emma had moved into the mansion, she had only brought a few boxes. Regina was shocked at the lack of items that she owned, but then had remembered that Emma had been sent to a multitude of homes, and probably hadn't collected too many things.

Several months later, Snow discovered a shoebox in Emma's old closet. Curious, she had looked inside, only to find several piles of pictures. Shocked, she had called Emma about them, only to have Emma show up and quickly take them.

Emma probably could have hidden the box in a better spot, but Snow finding it had caught her off guard.

"What's this?" Regina asked, picking up the shoebox that had been half out from under their bed. "And what is it doing under our bed?"

"Sorry, just threw it under there," Emma said, grabbing the box from her. "Snow found it at the apartment."

"What is it?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "Just some old stuff from when I was younger. You know, the stuff that you can't throw away because of the memories."

Regina sat on the bed and looked at her with narrowed eyes. "So why can't I see inside it?"

"Who said you couldn't?" Emma countered.

"You and the way that you're holding onto that box like your life depends on it," Regina said. Emma blushed before holding out the box.

Regina smiled before taking it. She took off the lid and gasped at all of the pictures inside. "What are these pictures of?"

Emma sat down next to her on the bed. "Pictures of the best foster home that I ever had."

"You had a good foster home?" Regina asked in surprise. The only times that she had heard about Emma's foster home experience, it was usually a memory of something bad that had happened.

"Yeah," Emma said. "Only this one though. That's why I took pictures. So I would never forget."

Regina started going through the photos, marveling at how good some of them were. "You took really good pictures."

Emma laughed. "No need to sound surprised. I have many hidden talents."

Regina smiled before taking out a picture of a tree house. "Did they build you a tree house?"

"Yeah," Emma said, smiling at the memory. "I would always climb trees for fun, so they just decided to build me a tree house. That way I could be in the trees without getting hurt."

"That was nice of them," Regina said. "And it's very well built."

"It was," Emma agreed, taking the picture. "They spent a long time on it. I would sit up there for days and just enjoy being alone. It was my safe spot just to be able to think about things."

"Why would you take pictures?" Regina asked. "Did you know that something bad was going to happen?"

"Something bad always happened," Emma said. "I just wanted to be prepared. It was the best house that I was ever in. I didn't want to forget any of it. But I didn't take these until the day that I left."

"You ran away from them?" Regina asked.

"No, they were the only family I didn't run from," Emma said. "I turned 18 while I was with them. I could leave the foster system. I had the choice to either stay with them, or go on my way. I chose to go on my way."

"Even though you loved the family?" Regina asked in surprise. "Why would you want to leave?"

"They were never going to adopt me," Emma argued. "I wanted to get out before I was hurt again."

Regina looked at the picture thoughtfully. "Is the tree house still there?"

Emma shrugged. "No idea. I don't know if they even live in that house anymore."

Regina looked at the picture with a smile. "Let's go find out."

"What?" Emma asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Let's go find out," Regina repeated. "You remember where they live, right?"

"Of course," Emma said. "But like I said, I don't know if they still live there or not. Or if the tree house is still there."

"We'll never find out if we don't go looking," Regina said. "Let's go on an adventure."

A smile slowly appeared on Emma's face. "Okay. Let's go on an adventure."

* * *

Emma pulled up to the house that she remembered the most. Regina held up a picture from the shoebox. "It matches the house perfectly."

Emma sat in the bug, looking at the front door. "What if it's not them?"

Regina smiled before grabbing her hand. "What if it is?"

"Either way, I'm not sure I want to go to that door," Emma said.

"Yes you do," Regina said. "These were the people that actually made you happy. Why wouldn't you want to see them again?"

"What if they hate me for leaving?" Emma asked. "We had a good life. I just didn't want to get hurt."

"Even if they do hate you, I'm sure they'll be happy to know that you have a good life now," Regina said. "Come on. I'll go with you."

Emma sighed before getting out of the bug. Regina got out as well, walking around the bug and grabbing Emma's hand. Emma took a deep breath before walking towards the front door.

As they got to the front door, Emma paused. Did she want to ring the doorbell? Regina decided for her by leaning over and ringing it. "Regina Mills!" Emma hissed.

Regina just laughed before squeezing Emma's hand gently. "You weren't going to ring it."

Emma rolled her eyes and was about to respond when the door opened. An older woman stood there, and looked thoroughly confused until she saw Emma. "Emma Swan," she whispered.

Emma smiled shyly. "Hi Margaret."

Margaret's face lit up and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Emma in a hug. Emma froze before letting go of Regina's hand and returning the hug.

"It's been so long," Margaret said.

"I know," Emma said.

Margaret pulled away and looked Emma up and down. "Well you look all right. Where have you been?"

Emma smiled. "In a little town in Maine called Storybrooke."

"I've never heard of it," Margaret said in skeptically.

"Most people haven't," Emma assured her. "It's pretty small and hidden. You have to be a special kind of person to find it."

"I see," Margaret said. "And who's this?"

Emma followed Margaret's gaze and saw Regina standing behind her. She had almost forgotten that Regina was there. Emma was about to reply honestly, but then thought about what Margaret would think. Would she be okay that Emma was married to another woman?

Margaret looked at Emma with concern. "Is everything okay?"

Regina watched Emma carefully. She too hadn't thought about what Margaret would think about them. But she would take her cues from Emma.

Emma turned back to Margaret. "Everything's great, sorry. I spaced out for a moment." She turned back to Regina and smiled before grabbing her hand and pulling her forward. "This is my wife, Regina."

Margaret looked shocked before smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

Emma must have looked surprised, because Margaret started laughing. "What, did you think I would kick you off my porch for being married to a woman? Come now Emma. You know me better than that."

Emma blushed. "Sorry Margaret."

"Oh where are my manners!" Margaret exclaimed. "Come on in! The house hasn't really changed since you left, but I'm sure that you'd like to see it."

"You have no idea," Emma said, following Margaret inside. Regina smiled before following Emma, who hadn't let go of her hand. Together, they were about to take a trip down memory lane.


	114. Day 114: Buffalo

**This chapter is also for amywood.581 with the prompt: "New home"**

Emma walked into the mansion, completely exhausted. Who knew that paperwork could actually drain you? Taking off her shoes, she slowly walked upstairs to the room that she shared with Regina.

Regina sat on their bed, Emma's laptop in front of her. "Whatcha doin?" Emma asked, flopping down onto the bed next to her.

"Well I was going to do some paperwork," Regina said. "But now I'd like you to explain this."

Emma looked at her in confusion until she turned the laptop to face Emma. Emma looked at the screen and her eyes widened. "Crap."

"'Crap' is right," Regina said. "Care to explain to me why you're looking at houses out of this town?"

"It's not what you think," Emma said, sitting up.

"No?" Regina asked. "Then what exactly is it? Because right now it looks like you're trying to leave."

"I'm not trying to leave!" Emma exclaimed. "Will you just listen?"

Regina huffed before looking at Emma impatiently. Emma chuckled before leaning forward and closing the laptop. "I'm not leaving. Let's just get that clear."

Regina went to say something, but Emma held up her hand to stop her. "Just listen. I was looking at houses outside of town in case I ever need to get away."

"Get away?" Regina asked. "I thought that your running tendencies were getting better."

"They have been," Emma said. "But I don't know. I just feel like I need to get away sometimes. This way, I actually have somewhere to go. It's not like I'm permanently leaving or anything. It's just for when I feel like I need to run."

"So are you moving your stuff there?" Regina asked. "Like you're moving into a new home?"

"No," Emma said quickly. "I would never do that. The only thing there is just a bed. I don't plan on ever staying there very long, if I ever do go there. I don't know at this point."

Regina reached out and opened up the laptop again, bringing up the picture of the house. "It's a nice house. And for a good price."

Emma smiled. "There's another reason that I bought it."

"What's that?" Regina asked, looking away from the screen.

"If I ever do run away, you'll know exactly where to find me," Emma said. "I was going to tell you about it eventually, but I hadn't decided if I even wanted to buy it or not. But I'm thinking that it would be a good idea."

Regina bit her lip. "What city is it in?"

Emma winced. "That's the part you may not like. It's in Buffalo, New York."

Regina's eyes widened. "That's so far away! Why would you go that far?"

"Calm down," Emma said. "If I need to run at this point, it's going to be because of something huge. If that's the case, I'm going to want to go as far away as I can, but still within driving distance. This seemed the most logical."

"You're practically in Canada!" Regina exclaimed.

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, getting her attention. "This is just a backup plan. I may never even go there. It's just to be prepared. Okay?"

Regina sighed in relief. "Okay."

* * *

Everything had gone wrong so quickly. Snow and David invited Emma over for lunch, claiming that they never got to spend time with her anymore since she had moved in with Regina. Emma hadn't wanted to go, but Regina had encouraged her to, telling her that she needed a good relationship with her parents.

The lunch had gone well until Neal had gotten involved. Emma had no hard feelings towards her brother, but rather towards her parents. They were so overprotective of him, and it grated on Emma's nerves constantly. Whenever she was around him, they watched her like hawks, as if she would hurt her brother without thinking twice about it.

Emma had asked to hold him, and like every time she asked, she was denied. It wouldn't have been a big deal if Snow had kept her mouth shut. "I just don't like handing him off to people. Plus, we don't know what your magic might do to him!"

Emma's jaw had dropped. "What do you mean? I have control over my magic!"

Snow and David had exchanged a look before looking at her with pity. "But will you ever really have control over it?" David had asked. "We just don't want anything to happen to him."

"I'm not going to hurt him!" Emma had protested. Snow had just held onto Neal tighter. Emma had glared at them both before quickly getting up and leaving the apartment. No one had faith in her. No matter how hard she tried, everyone would always remember the day her magic had gotten out of control.

Emotions had started piling up, and it all became too much. "Ma?" Henry called. "Are you okay?"

Emma had just looked at him, panting harshly. "Tell your mom that I'm going to Buffalo."

"What?" Henry asked. "Buffalo?"

Emma nodded before getting in her bug and driving away. Henry had just looked after her in confusion before starting to walk home. Emma was supposed to drive him home from school.

* * *

"Mom!" Henry called. "Something's wrong!"

Regina ran out from the kitchen. "What? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Henry said. "Something's wrong with Ma. I saw her as she was leaving Snow and David's apartment, and she didn't look good. She said to tell you that she's going to Buffalo."

"No," Regina breathed.

"What's in Buffalo?" Henry asked. "Why is Ma going there?"

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "Just go pack your bag and I'll take you over to Snow and David's."

"No way," Henry protested. "I'm coming with you."

"No you're not," Regina argued.

"Yes I am," Henry said strongly. "I love her too. I'm not just going to sit here and wait for her to come back."

Regina sighed. "Okay. But you still need to pack your bag." Henry smiled before running upstairs. They were headed to Buffalo.

* * *

Thanks to Regina finding the house on Emma's laptop, she knew exactly where it was located and how to get to it. Plus the tracking device on Emma's phone also helped.

Regina pulled into the driveway of the little house, smiling in relief at seeing Emma's bug in the garage. They had come to the right place.

"Are we gonna go in?" Henry asked, unbuckling his seat belt.

"Yes," Regina said. She got out as well, and together they walked up to the front door, both carrying a small bag.

Before Regina could even ring the doorbell, Emma opened the door. "Hi."

"Hey there," Regina said. "Can we come in?"

Emma nodded before stepping to the side, letting Regina and Henry in. "There's a room down the hall for you," Emma said to Henry.

Henry smiled and nodded before heading down to his temporary room. Emma watched him go before walking down the opposite hallway. Regina followed her, assuming that Emma was headed to where she had been sleeping.

"How long have you been here?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "I got here yesterday. You guys weren't that much farther behind me."

Regina nodded before setting down her bag on the floor. She walked over and sat on the bed, watching Emma as she went to the window.

"My parents won't be able to find this place, will they?" Emma asked.

"Is that who you're running from?" Regina asked in surprise. "I thought things were getting better with them."

"Things will never get better with them," Emma said, walking over and sitting next to Regina on the bed.

"That's not true," Regina argued.

"I thought things were getting better, and here we are," Emma countered. "In a totally different state, almost in Canada. As far away as I could get."

"You could have gone farther," Regina pointed out.

"The only reason that I didn't was because I didn't want to get too far from you and Henry," Emma said. "Now that you're here, I can just stay."

"No you can't," Regina said gently. "Your home is in Storybrooke. Our home actually. We need to go back."

"My home is wherever you are," Emma said. "And now you're here."

Regina sighed. "You really are stubborn, aren't you?"

Emma smiled. "You know it."

"We'll stay here for awhile," Regina suggested. "And in a week, we'll reevaluate where things are at, and decide from there what we do. Deal?"

"Deal," Emma said. "But while we're here, there's some really cool stuff that you have to see. Buffalo is actually a cool city."

Regina laughed. "Okay. Let's go get Henry and then we can explore Buffalo, New York."


	115. Day 115: Mom's Advice

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt: "Established swanqueen. Henry comes out as gay to Regina because he has boy troubles and wants his mom's advice. Accepting Regina and happy end please"**

"What if she doesn't accept it?" Henry asked.

"Why wouldn't she?" Emma asked in confusion. "We're engaged, kid. It's not like she's never been exposed to a same-sex relationship."

"That's not the point," Henry argued. "She grew up in the Enchanted Forest, where I'm sure relationships were much more conservative."

"Again, I think that you have nothing to worry about," Emma said.

"What if it's different?" Henry asked. "Since I'm her son? Maybe she doesn't want that kind of relationship for me."

"You won't know unless you tell her," Emma pointed out. They stopped outside of the building that Regina worked in. "Go get 'em tiger."

Henry rolled his eyes before heading up the stairs to the front door. "You're a dork," he called back to her.

"You share genetics with me," Emma called after him. As he went into the building, Emma couldn't help but smile. She knew that Regina would have no problem with Henry being gay, but she had to agree with Henry that Regina could be unpredictable. Regardless, Emma had high hopes.

* * *

"Mom?" Henry called, opening up the door to her office. "Can we talk for a sec?"

"Of course," Regina said, setting down her pen. She was doing paperwork, some of it Emma's. Emma had gotten way too behind on paperwork, and David wasn't going to help her since he had a big enough pile of his own, so Regina had stepped in.

Henry sat down in front of Regina's desk before taking a deep breath. "I have something to tell you. And it's kinda important."

"Okay," Regina said. "What's going on?"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Henry said. He started fidgeting, and Regina was shocked at how much of an Emma move that it was.

"Don't know how to tell me what?" Regina asked. "Did you do something illegal?"

"No!" Henry exclaimed. "Nothing like that."

Regina sighed in relief. "So then what's wrong?"

Henry took a deep breath. Emma had told him that Regina would probably accept what he was about to tell her, but Regina was unpredictable. "I have a crush on someone."

Regina looked shocked before starting to laugh. "That's what you were so concerned about telling me?"

"Not exactly," Henry said. "I'm more worried about how you'll react to who I have the crush on."

"And why's that?" Regina asked. "Is she someone that I wronged in the Enchanted Forest?"

"No," Henry said. "His name is Ethan, and he's in my biology class."

Regina's eyes widened. "He?"

Henry gulped before nodding. "He's really nice, and you'll probably really like him. I was just more concerned about your reaction to me being, well, gay."

Regina chuckled before leaning forward. "Henry, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm engaged to another woman."

Henry smiled. "I know. But I didn't know if it would be different with me. That probably sounds stupid."

"No, it doesn't," Regina said, smiling gently. "But believe me, you had nothing to worry about. Obviously I have no problems with gay relationships."

"Yeah, I guess not," Henry said, laughing. "Which leads to the next part of why I'm here. I need your help."

"With what?" Regina asked. "Coming out to Emma?"

Henry blushed before smiling sheepishly. "She actually knows already."

"You told her before you told me?" Regina asked. "Were you really that worried about how I would react?"

"Kinda," Henry admitted.

Regina sighed. "Henry Daniel Mills. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. If that means that you like another boy, who am I to protest? You are my son, and as such, all I want for you is the best. If this boy is it, then I say that you go for it."

Henry smiled. "That's the other problem. I don't even know if he knows that I exist."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You're the son of the Evil Queen and the Savior. Of course he knows that you exist."

"Former Evil Queen," Henry corrected. "One day you'll get that in your head. And anyway, I meant noticing me for me. He's super cute, and all of the girls fawn over him all the time. He never seems interested in them, but he always smiles at me whenever we make eye contact."

"See? He knows you exist," Regina pointed out.

Henry shrugged. "But how do I even talk to him? He's super popular, and he's hardly ever alone. Plus, going up to him is super intimidating. What if I say something wrong?"

"Here's what I've learned," Regina said. "If someone really wants to be with you, they love you for who you are. Just be you Henry. If this boy likes you back, you'll both make a move."

"You and Ma made it seem so easy," Henry mumbled.

Regina laughed. "We danced around our feelings for years. Trust me, it wasn't as easy as it looked. Just be you. Works like a charm."

Henry smiled at her. "Thanks mom."

"Anything for you," Regina said. "Now go get your happy ending."

 **So I really liked yesterday's chapter, and I felt like I could do more with it if it hadn't just been one chapter. So...watch for it to become it's own story when this one if over. It might even get slipped into the Connected universe. I don't know yet. Anyway, hope that you enjoyed this chapter!**


	116. Day 116: Defending True Love

**This chapter is for Samy with the prompt: "Can you write a story, where, they afraid for their true love. I mean, each one, they convinced than the other go break up... I don't know, a new woman in town, business secret (birthday, wedding anniversary or anything)..." I think I know what you're wanting. Don't be afraid with your English!**

True Love was a messy thing, Regina decided. When you finally did find your True Love, who's to say that you were going to keep them?

Regina sighed before running her fingers through her hair. She loved Emma, she really did. But Emma had been spending a lot of time around Hook lately, and that made Regina nervous.

"You okay?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen.

Regina smiled. "Yes. Just tired is all."

"You sure?" Emma asked, looking at her knowingly. "You've been off the last couple days."

Regina chuckled. "Nothing going on here. Like I said, just tired."

Emma sighed before sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter. "Just tired huh? You've been sleeping fine the past few days. It's not like we've stayed up late the past few nights or anything."

Regina shrugged. "I just am."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Will you just stop lying to me? What's going on?"

Regina bit her lip. "It's not important. Just some thoughts in my head."

"What kind of thoughts?" Emma asked.

"I said it's not important," Regina said, starting to walk out of the room.

"Regina Mills," Emma scolded. "Don't do that. What's going on? Whatever it is, I want to know. Clearly something is up."

"You'll probably think that I'm being ridiculous," Regina argued.

"You're already being ridiculous," Emma teased. "So you might as well just tell me."

Regina sighed. "If you want to date Hook, I won't stop you."

Emma's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about?"

"You've just been spending more time with Hook then you've been spending with me," Regina said quietly. "You two get along well. It would make sense."

Emma didn't think that her jaw could drop any farther, but it did. "I don't understand. You don't want to be dating anymore?"

"Of course I do," Regina said. "But I want you to be happy. And I have a feeling that your parents would like it better if you were dating someone that didn't use to be their old enemy."

Emma stood up and walked over to where Regina stood. "I don't care what my parents think. And I'm sorry that I've been spending so much time with Hook. He's been helping with searching for Anna. That's all. I love you."

"True Love never lasts," Regina argued.

"No? Look at my parents," Emma countered. "They're True Loves."

"They're also the heroes," Regina said. "They always get their happy ending. And as their child, you deserve your happy ending too."

"Don't you get it?" Emma asked. "You are my happy ending. You're my True Love. I don't want to be with anyone else."

"You deserve so much better than me," Regina said. "I'm evil."

"Not anymore," Emma said strongly. "I have no feelings for Hook. You are who I'm meant to be with. Understand?"

Regina shook her head. "Why? Why be with me when you could be with Hook? He hasn't tried to kill your parents before."

"You think that I care about your past with my parents?" Emma asked. "I care about us. Our future. As True Love's, we're destined to be together. Right?"

Regina sighed. "Right. As long as you're sure."

"I'm sure," Emma said strongly. "Very very sure." She pulled Regina to her and kissed her passionately. Regina shuddered as she felt the magic and love flow through her.

"Feel that?" Emma asked, smiling.

Regina nodded. "And I know what you're going to say. Only True Love's Kiss can create that kind of feeling."

Emma chuckled before kissing her again. "And don't you ever forget it."

 **Was that what you looking for? I wrote this really quickly because school started and I didn't have a lot of time. Also, thank you to everyone who's just reviewing that you loved the chapter or something like that. You're the reason that I write everyday!**


	117. Day 117: First Day of School

**In honor of school starting for me, I'm making Ava and Henry start school as well. Swan-Mills fam is featured :) This is set shortly after they adopt Ava.**

Ava had refused to pack her backpack. Emma and Regina had ended up packing it for her, hoping that they had put whatever she was going to need in there. They didn't want the day to be more traumatic than it already would be.

Henry had promised to stay by Ava for as long as he could, but they were in different grades. He couldn't stay by her the whole time. He had tried to reassure Ava that she would make friends quickly, and that everyone was very nice.

Regardless, Ava was still hesitant to go. Not really hesitant, more like refusing. She had sworn the night before that they wouldn't make her leave her room, no matter what they said or did.

"What do we do?" Regina asked, playing with one of the zippers on Ava's backpack. "I don't want to force her to go."

"But you know that she has to," Emma said. "She's just hesitant to leave us right now. She finally has a family."

"It's not like we're going to disappear while she's at school," Regina said.

Emma looked at her sadly. "She doesn't think that."

Regina's eyes widened. "She really thinks that we're going to leave her? Why would we do that?"

"I'm not saying that we would," Emma said. "I'm just saying that that's what she thinks. She's been abandoned so many times, that she's scared to leave."

"That's awful," Regina breathed.

Emma grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. "Believe me, I know. But we just have to show her that we're not going anywhere."

* * *

Regina opened Ava's door, wincing as it creaked. Ava shifted before waking up. Both she and Emma were extremely light sleepers. Must have something to do with always being around people that you didn't trust.

"Morning," Regina said gently, pulling the covers down until she could see Ava's face. "It's time for school."

Ava shook her head. "I'm not going."

"And I'm telling you that you are," Regina said. "I promise that it'll be fine. Like Henry said, I'm sure that you'll make friends in no time."

"I'm not going," Ava repeated.

"We're not going anywhere," Emma chimed in, coming to stand next to Regina. "We'll still be here when you get home."

"How can you be sure?" Ava asked. "That's what a lot of people have said before."

"I know," Emma said. "But we're not like other people, now are we?"

Ava laughed. "No, you're definitely not. That's for sure."

Regina chuckled. "See? You have nothing to be worried about."

"Okay," Ava said. "I guess that I'll go to school."

Regina and Emma shared a glance before smiling at each other. They both turned back to Ava. "That's our girl," Regina said.

Henry came walking into the room. He took in Ava still in her bed before sighing dramatically. "You're not even out of bed yet?"

 **Guys I hit 100,000 words! Woot!**


	118. Day 118: 101 Dalmatians

**Happy National Dog Day everyone! I don't have a dog, but my cat is pretty dog-like. Sort of counts.**

"They really do have a movie for everyone don't they," Regina chuckled, looking at all of the Disney movies. When Emma had moved in, she had insisted that Regina and Henry be educated on the world of Disney.

So far, they had both enjoyed it. Henry more than Regina, but Regina still enjoyed seeing all of the errors in every Disney movie. The only movie that she had refused to watch was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Emma hadn't gotten her to watch that yet.

"Define everyone," Emma said, plopping down onto the couch.

Regina held up a red movie box with several dalmatians on the cover. "Even Pongo is featured in a movie. Pongo."

Emma laughed. "Come on, talking dogs are cute."

"Pongo can't talk," Regina said, setting the movie back onto the shelf. "So there's the first inaccuracy. Probably of many."

"Still cute," Emma said.

"What are we watching?" Henry asked, walking into the room with a large bowl of popcorn. He sat down next to Emma, sharing the popcorn with her.

Regina made a face. "Does there have to be popcorn?"

Emma smirked before grabbing a handful of the tasty snack. "Just because you find it unhealthy and gross doesn't mean that the rest of us do."

"Everyone knows that popcorn is unhealthy," Regina countered. "The gross is just me."

Henry snorted before eating another handful. "So what are we watching?"

Emma shrugged. "I vote for-"

"If you say 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', I will fireball you," Regina interrupted, glaring at her.

Henry burst out laughing. "Guess that's a no then."

"Fine," Emma grumbled. "What about '101 Dalmatians'? It has cute puppies in it."

"And Cruella," Henry added. "She loses at the end. It would kinda give me pleasure to see her get defeated by a bunch of dogs."

Regina rolled her eyes before chuckling and pulling the movie back off of the shelf. "By all means, let's watch Cruella get beaten by a bunch of spotted dogs."

* * *

"How could someone want to kill so many innocent puppies?" Regina asked. "At least I went for someone that wasn't innocent. Or cute."

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Guess she just has a thing for fur."

"I'll say," Regina scoffed. "Killing puppies. That's just awful."

"Evil even?" Henry asked, smirking.

Regina pushed him playfully. "Just because you kill things, doesn't mean that you're evil. Truly being evil is making thousands suffer first. What made Cruella evil was that she kidnapped the children of two loving parents, making the parents and the human family suffer."

She looked over and saw Henry and Emma staring at her with wide eyes. "What? I know a thing or two about being evil. Obviously."

"Yeah but, you just totally went in depth about why Cruella is the way she is," Henry said in awe. "Everyone should hear you explain villainy!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I doubt that people want to hear the difference between psychopathic tendencies and being evil. Not exactly a happy conversation."

"Interesting though," Emma said. "Oh look, Cruella is back. Her guys didn't get the job done."

"Well at least they got that right," Regina said.

"Got what right?" Emma asked.

"Cruella can't kill," Regina said. "So she's using two others to do it for her."

Emma's jaw dropped. "Oh my god. How did I never notice that? I've watched this movie literally a thousand times."

"Literally a thousand?" Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Whatever. My point is, my mind has been blown."

Henry chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you also never thought that you would meet Cruella anyway. How could you have known that she couldn't kill? Or that fairytale people were real."

"Good point," Emma said. She pointed to the screen. "It's also true that she looks nothing like that."

Regina burst out laughing. "She is a lot better looking than this movie version of her."

"How would you know how good looking she is?" Emma asked.

Regina just smirked. "Jealous?"

Emma blushed. "No. I don't get jealous."

"Uh huh," Regina said. "Right."

Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina before turning back to the TV to watch the movie. Regina just laughed.

"Do you think that Pongo knows that he's in a movie?" Henry asked.

"He's a dog," Regina said. "Of course he doesn't."

Emma leaned over to Henry. "I bet he does," she whispered in his ear.

Regina rolled her eyes. "What happened to all of the puppies?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"After the movie," Regina said. "What the heck did they do with all of those puppies? Did they move to a different house? Clearly their one now isn't going to be able to fit 101 dalmatians."

"You're way overthinking," Henry said. "That's just where the movie ends. Happy ending, the end."

"That's so unrealistic!" Regina argued. "No one ever gets happy endings like that!"

"No?" Emma asked. Regina looked at her, and did a double take. Happy endings did happen like that, and the proof was right in front of her.

"I take it back," Regina said, smiling.

Emma smiled back. "That's what I thought."

"And I'm out," Henry said, getting up from the couch. "You two are about to get all sappy, and I really don't want to be here for that."

Regina and Emma just laughed.

 **I had the same mind blown moment as Emma. I was thinking about the movie, and then I made the connection that she has the guys do it because she can't kill. Mind. Blown.**


	119. Day 119: Stable Visit

"You like horseback riding right?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Regina said. "But I haven't done it for a long time."

"So let's do that today," Emma said. "Henry is at a friend's house, and I refuse to just sit here and do nothing."

"Have you ever even ridden a horse?" Regina asked.

"No, which is why you're going to teach me," Emma said. "If you can teach me magic, I'm sure you can teach me how to ride a horse."

"The only magic that I taught you was how to save yourself from falling to your death from a bridge," Regina scoffed.

Emma shrugged. "I trust you. Does Storybrooke have a stable?"

"Of course it does," Regina said.

"So let's go to it," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand.

"Maybe not today," Regina said. "I actually do have work to get done at my office."

"You do?" Emma asked. "You told me that your day was free today. That's why I thought that we could do something."

Regina shook her head. "Yeah, I have some things to get done. I'll pick Henry up from his friend's later." Before Emma could even say anything, Regina was out of the house.

"That was weird," Emma mumbled. She sighed before leaving the house. Since Regina was going into work, she figured that she might as well head over to her parents' place. Snow would probably be overjoyed that Emma was coming to visit, since Emma was still getting used to the idea of having parents her same age.

Knocking on the door of the apartment, Emma waited for someone to answer the door. It ended up being David. "Emma," he said in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Am I no longer welcome?" Emma teased.

"Of course you are!" David said, moving aside to let her in. "I was just surprised is all."

"Who was at the door?" Snow asked, coming into the room. Upon seeing Emma, her face lit up. "Emma!"

Emma laughed. "Hi."

"Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?" Snow asked. "I thought you were spending the day with Regina since Henry was at a friend's house?"

Emma shrugged. "She had to go into work. Something about work that she forgot to do."

"Regina never forgets anything," David said.

"Believe me, I know," Emma said. "It was just really weird. She left the house really fast."

Snow and David exchanged a glance. Regina hated confrontation, and it sounded like she had escaped as fast as she could. "What were you talking about before she left?" Snow asked.

"We were talking about what we were going to do today," Emma said. "I remembered that you told me that she loved horseback riding. So I suggested that."

Snow winced. "That would be why she left."

"What?" Emma asked. "Why? I thought she loved it."

"She did," Snow said. "But the last time that she was in a stable, it didn't end very well."

"Daniel," Emma said, eyes widening. "I feel so stupid. Thanks for the help." She turned and quickly left the apartment, headed for Regina's office.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Emma said, walking into the office.

Regina jumped before looking up in surprise. "What happened to knocking?"

Emma backed up to the doorway and knocked on the door. Regina rolled her eyes. Emma smiled before walking back into the office, placing her hands on Regina's desk. "What are you sorry for?" Regina asked.

"For mentioning horseback riding," Emma explained. "I forgot about Daniel."

Regina visibly tensed. "Don't worry about it. I just haven't really wanted to visit a stable since then. That's all."

"Maybe you should," Emma said.

"No thank you," Regina said. "I think I'll pass on that."

"You love horseback riding," Emma said. "Why wouldn't you want to do something that you love again?"

"I've tried going back into a stable before," Regina said. "I really did try. But all I could see as soon as I walked in was Daniel's dead body on the floor. Not to mention the time that he was half-monster and I had to kill him myself."

Emma winced. The stable was not a happy place. "Maybe going back there would be a nice way to move on."

"I'm dating you, aren't I?" Regina argued. "I'd say that I've moved on."

"You really haven't if you still can't go to a stable," Emma countered.

Regina went to argue, but realized that she couldn't. Emma had a point. Regina sighed. "What do you suggest then?"

"We go to the stable," Emma said. "We don't even have to go riding. Baby steps."

"We?" Regina asked in surprise. "You're going with me?"

"Of course," Emma said. "I won't make you do it alone."

"Okay," Regina said. "Let's go to the stable."

* * *

"I didn't even know that this place existed," Emma said, getting out of the car.

Regina took a deep breath before getting out with her. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can," Emma said, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. "You're not alone."

Nodding, Regina walked with Emma into the stable. She breathed in the scent of fresh hay and relaxed. She hadn't been here in so long, and realized that she had missed it more than she had thought.

Looking around, Emma realized that the stable looked completely different from the one in the Enchanted Forest. Then again, Regina probably hadn't wanted a reminder of the stable that her love had died in.

Regina let go of Emma's hand and walked over to a horse, lightly stroking its face. "I've missed horses more than I realized."

Emma smiled before coming to join her. "Horses are pretty cute."

Regina chuckled. "And very smart. That's why I liked riding. The horse knows exactly what you want, and obeys."

"How're you feeling?" Emma asked. It looked like Regina was fine, but she also had an incredible poker face.

"I'm good," Regina said. "I actually feel like I could go riding and not freak out."

"Really?" Emma asked.

Regina looked at her with a smile. "How would you like to learn how to ride a horse?"


	120. Day 120: Trypanophobia

Emma walked around the woods of Storybrooke in a daze. What was she doing here? Hadn't she said that she was going to meet Regina for lunch? She wasn't hungry though, that much was for sure.

Emma tried to swallow but found that her mouth was too dry. Her tongue felt swollen. The day was extremely hot, but Emma kept walking. She had to find a secluded spot where people couldn't find her.

Some Savior she was. She couldn't even find Anna. How hard was it to find a person in this town? Not to mention that the Snow Queen was messing with her head. And her magic.

Emma swooned as an overwhelming sense of dizziness went through her. She was sweating so much, probably due to the heat of the day. Emma shrugged off her jacket, throwing it down onto the ground. Why was it so hot?

Black spots started dancing across her vision, but Emma refused to stop walking. She had to get away. She had to-

Eyes rolling back in her head, Emma collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Emma slowly opened her eyes. Where was she? Looking around, she realized that she was in a hospital room at Storybrooke's hospital. Shifting her gaze down to her hand, she panicked at the needle sticking into the top of it.

Blinking to wake up completely, Emma reached over and started to pick at the tape. How was it sticking to her skin so well?

"Stop that," Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand. "It needs to stay in."

Emma shook her head and pulled her hand away, starting to pick more furiously at the tape. "It needs to come out."

"Why does it need to come out?" Regina asked.

"I don't like needles," Emma said, panic growing. The IV was going to take blood from her. It could kill her!

"You're trypanophobic?" Regina asked.

"I don't know what that means," Emma said. "Why won't this tape come off?"

"Because it's not supposed to," Regina scolded, grabbing Emma's hand again. "You need the fluids that it's giving you. You're severely dehydrated."

"I'll just drink a lot of water," Emma argued. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Regina said. "You were walking outside on a very hot day without drinking water."

Emma shrugged. "Not that big of a deal." She pulled out of Regina's grasp and started to pick at the tape again. "Will you just take it out for me?"

"No," Regina said. "You're improving with it in."

"It's going to suck out my blood," Emma whimpered.

Regina suddenly understood. "It's not going to take blood from you," she said gently. "It's just to give you fluids quickly. It's to help you."

"It's a needle in my hand," Emma argued. "How is that helpful? Maybe I can just magic it off." She tried to use her magic to take the tape off, but found that her magic didn't work.

Regina pointed to her wrist. "Magic cuff. No magic for you while you're here."

Emma glared at her. "Take it off."

"No," Regina said. "It's helping you."

"I don't think you understand," Emma said. "I don't want this in my hand. It needs to come out. Now."

Regina reached forward and covered Emma's hand with the IV in it. "Look at me, not the IV."

"It doesn't matter," Emma said. "I can still feel it."

"I know," Regina said soothingly. "Let's just talk. The needles not there. If you can't see it, it's not there."

Emma bit her lip and looked down at Regina's hand covering her own. "Look at me," Regina commanded gently.

Emma looked at her. Regina smiled. "So what were you doing out in the forest anyway?"

"I just needed to get away. Everything was getting to be too much, so I thought that I would go for a walk," Emma said. "Guess I didn't notice how hot it was."

"You think?" Regina teased.

"How did you even find me?" Emma asked. "I was really deep in the forest."

"Locator spell," Regina said. "You don't ever miss lunch. No matter how bad things get."

Emma winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. Guess I shouldn't get dehydrated huh?"

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Yes, that would be advised. If you could at least warn me the next time that you want to go for a walk in extreme heat, that would be appreciated."

Emma smiled. "Yes ma'am."

Regina shifted her hand ever so slightly and Emma paled as she felt the needle again. "It's still there," she whimpered.

"You can't take it out until the doctor clears you to," Regina said.

"Which is right now," Whale said, walking into the room. "Your vitals are back to normal. No more IV needed."

"Thank goodness," Emma said. "Now will someone please take this tape off?"

"Drama queen," Regina mumbled before gently peeling the tape off. "This is going to feel weird." Emma nodded and Regina gently pulled the needle out. Emma winced as it left her skin, but breathed a sigh of relief at it being gone.

"This too," Emma said, holding up her arm that had the cuff on it.

Regina shook her head. "No magic for now. You may have your vitals up, but you need to rest. Using magic will only be a step backwards."

"She's right," Whale said, as Emma looked ready to protest. "Just rest for now. You can have your magic back tomorrow."

Emma sighed. "Fine. But can I at least go home?"

Whale nodded. "You're free to go."

"Thank goodness," Emma said. "No offense, but I want to get the hell out of here."


	121. Day 121: Trust Fall

**So since Season 5 is out on Netflix, I decided to do something from the beginning. Nothing too far in, just in case people haven't seen the whole thing yet.**

Regina shut the door to Merlin's tower before pulling out the dagger. Emma's dagger. Emma was the Dark One. Regina shuddered at the fact that Emma was the Dark One because of her.

"Staring at it isn't going to make my name go away," Emma said, looking around the tower. "Believe me, I wish it was that easy."

"Why the hell would you give this to me?" Regina hissed. "You know that there's no way that I can destroy you."

"I know that you'll do what's necessary if I become a danger to Henry," Emma said.

"That's not the point," Regina argued. "You're giving me complete control over you."

"Exactly," Emma said, turning to face her. "I can barely control myself right now without having the dagger. It's too much power."

"So you decided to hand it off to me?" Regina scoffed. "The one person who could put their feelings aside and be able to destroy you? That's how you put it, yes?"

Emma winced. "Regina-"

"Let me talk," Regina said. Emma's mouth snapped shut, and Regina remembered that she was still holding the dagger. Wincing, she quickly put it back into her jacket. "I can't just destroy you. You know that."

"I know," Emma said softly. "But no one knows about us, so it made the most sense."

"Is that supposed to make it easier?" Regina asked. "Because we're dating in secret, that's suddenly going to make it easier to destroy you?"

Emma sighed. "Have you ever done trust falls before?"

"What?" Regina asked. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Have you?" Emma asked. Regina shook her head. "Me giving you the dagger was like a trust fall. You're the only person that I trust to catch me when I'm falling. And trust me, I'm already falling."

"How is destroying you catching you?" Regina asked.

"Because the whole point of catching the person is to make them feel safe," Emma said. "As you're falling, you're relying on that person to catch you. And when they do, you feel so safe. Destroying me and getting rid of the darkness may be the only way to make me feel safe again."

"It may not even come to that," Regina argued. "We'll find a way to get rid of the darkness. I know we will."

"It's just a precaution," Emma said. "If you don't want to do it, I'll give it to someone else."

"No," Regina said quickly. "I'm not sure I want anyone else touching this dagger."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"If we're treating this whole situation like a trust fall, then I want to be the one to catch you," Regina said. "Because no matter what happens, I will always be there to catch you whenever you fall."

Emma slightly smiled the first smile that she had since she had taken the darkness for Regina. "I should fall more often then."

Regina shook her head. "For right now, I'd like you standing. You may be struggling, but I know that you can keep standing. It's what you do."

"And what if I can't?" Emma asked. "What if standing becomes too hard and I fall?"

"Then I'll do what you asked me to do," Regina said. "I'll catch you."


	122. Day 122: Terrible Two's

**This chapter is for AngieSashaLanaFan7810157277 with the prompt: "Magical terrible two's. Lola turns two and has magic making the age even more difficult for her mothers. I would love to see her cause some funny trouble with her magic." Anything with Lola I am happy to write! I also don't know if you read all the chapters in one day, but I love that pretty much all of your reviews contained the word "love". Love it!**

"Lola, it's time to go," Regina called, walking down the hall to her room.

"I not ready yet mommy!" Lola called back. Regina couldn't help but chuckle. Lola was her everything, and she was just so darn cute.

"Why don't I help you?" Regina suggested, walking into Lola's room. "What are you stuck on?"

"Nothing," Lola said. "I do it."

Regina sighed. Lola certainly had gotten her stubbornness from both of her mothers. Which meant that it was through the roof. "We have to go, sweetheart. Just let me help."

"No!" Lola said crossly. "I a big girl. I do it." She marched over to her chair and picked up her shirt. Regina knew instantly that this was going to be a disaster. There was no way that Lola could get into her shirt without at least a little help.

"Lola please, just let mommy help," Regina said, stepping towards her.

"No!" Lola shouted. She glared at Regina before poofing away. Regina groaned. Of course Lola would resort to magic. Yay for being a product of True Love.

Regina walked out of Lola's bedroom and crossed the hall to Ava's. Lola may be able to poof, but she couldn't do it very far. Not yet anyway. "Lola Maria Swan-Mills," Regina scolded. "What have I told you about poofing away from me?"

Lola huffed and went back to struggling to get the shirt over her head. It wasn't going very well. Regina sighed before kneeling down to Lola's level. "I know that you're a big girl. But sometimes, even big girls need help."

Lola peeked out from one of the armholes in her shirt. "You never need help."

Regina smiled. "Sure I do. Just ask your ma when she gets home. But for now, can I help you with your shirt?"

Lola thought about it before nodding. "Otay."

"That's my girl," Regina said. Inside, she was cheering. Henry had been even worse when he was two, and he hadn't even had magic.

"There," Regina said. "All dressed." She tickled Lola's stomach, and she giggled.

"Hey, you got her dressed," Emma said, walking into the room. "Yesterday I had to chase her around the house for a good 10 minutes."

Regina raised an eyebrow at Lola, who suddenly looked guilty. "I can get dressed. I no need help."

"At least she can't poof that far," Emma mumbled.

Regina snorted. "Just wait a couple years."

"Can we go now?" Lola whined. "I have dollies to play with."

"Yes, let's go," Regina said. Lola smiled before running downstairs.

"Lola!" Emma called after her. She jogged to the top of the stairs and grabbed Lola's hand before she went down the stairs. "You never just take off running, remember? Mommy or I have to be with you."

"I do it myself," Lola said, pulling out of Emma's grasp and starting to walk down the stairs.

"Lola Maria," Emma said sternly. "There's a lot of stairs, and we don't want you to get hurt. You walk down with one of us."

"No, I do it," Lola argued continuing to walk down. Emma sighed before walking down to where Lola was and grabbing her hand. Lola started screaming, so Emma scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way down.

"We have rules for a reason Lo," Emma said, carrying her squirming daughter to the foyer to put her shoes on. "You have to follow them or you lose privileges."

Lola huffed before poofing out of Emma's arms and back up to the top of the stairs. Regina quickly grabbed her hand. "Going to obey the rules now?" she asked.

Lola nodded. "Yeah." Regina nodded and they walked down the stairs together.

"Get your shoes on," Regina said, letting go of Lola's hand once they had made it down to the foyer.

"I do it?" Lola asked.

Regina nodded. "You can do it. I'm gonna talk to your ma quick."

"Otay," Lola said, sitting on the floor. She grabbed her shoes and began to put them on. Regina walked over to Emma and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the kitchen. Lola would be busy for a while.

"The terrible two's have hit," Regina teased.

Emma sighed before running her fingers through her hair. "I don't know how to do this. How are we supposed to teach her what she can and can't do, when she poofs her way out of being disciplined?"

"I know," Regina said. She squeezed Emma's hand gently. "I know that you have been opposed to the idea before, but what if we cuffed her? Just until she learns to follow the rules."

Emma shook her head. "If we do that, she'll just go back to before when she could poof whenever she wanted."

"Maybe we should set some magic ground rules," Regina suggested.

"Like she'll follow those," Emma scoffed.

"I know that you're frustrated," Regina said gently. "But we just have to keep doing what we're doing. Things will turn out fine. It's us."

Emma smiled. "Yeah. It's us. What could possibly go wrong?"

Regina chuckled before pulling Emma in for a hug. "We've defeated everything magical that this world has thrown at us. Who's to say that we can't defeat the terrible two's?"

 **So two fun facts: 1. I totally forgot that I used Lana's middle name for Lola's, so when I went back to Day 14 to check, I was like "Duh, of course I did that. Lola is based off of everything Lana". Lol**

 **2\. Lola's whole attitude of "I do it" is based off of me when I was two. I asked my mom about how I was when I was two to get an idea of what two year olds are like, and this was her biggest note. So I used it :)**


	123. Day 123: Second Thoughts

Regina twisted the engagement ring around her finger, deep in thought. She wanted to marry Emma, she really did. But she was the Evil Queen, and Emma was the Savior. She was dark, and Emma was light. What could Emma even possibly see in her?

Regina pulled the ring off of her finger and set it down next to her. As soon as it was off, she sighed in relief. Emma deserved so much better than her. That ring should be given to someone else. Someone deserving of Emma's love. Sighing, Regina put her face in her hands.

"Regina?" Emma called from the doorway. "Are you okay?"

Regina looked up in surprise. "You're home early."

"There was nothing going on, and I had a feeling I was needed here," Emma said. "Clearly I was right."

"I'm fine," Regina said.

Emma sighed before walking into the room. She picked up the ring now sitting next to Regina, before sitting down next to her. "Then what's this doing off of your finger?"

Regina bit her lip and looked down at her hands. She couldn't tell Emma. It would break her heart. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay," Emma said. "Then I'll guess. You're having second thoughts, aren't you?"

Regina tensed. Was she that easy to read? She really needed to get back to work on her poker face. Emma had gotten too close to her, and everyone that got close to her ended up leaving her, either by death or by choice.

Emma saw the panic starting to gather in Regina's eyes and set down the ring before wrapping her in a hug. Regina struggled against her embrace before pulling away and grabbing the ring, forcing it into Emma's hand. "Take it back," she pleaded. "You need to take it back."

"What?" Emma asked. "Why?"

"I don't deserve it," Regina said, trying to force Emma to close her hand. "You need to keep it and save it for someone who actually deserves to wear it."

"You do deserve to wear it," Emma countered, refusing to close her hand. "I don't know what's making you think otherwise."

"I'm the Evil Queen," Regina said. "I think that's reason enough."

"Evil Queen or not, I love you," Emma said. "But if you don't want to marry me, I'm not going to force you to."

"No, I want to," Regina said. "I love you too. But we're just going to end up getting hurt, because that's basically the pattern of my love life. And I could never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me," Emma said soothingly. "So get that out of your head. Not everything ends as badly as you think."

"But it does," Regina said. "I can't lose you. I can't. And if that means not marrying you, then I'd be okay with that."

"Listen to me," Emma said. "You need to take a deep breath and calm down." She grabbed Regina's hand with her hand that wasn't holding the ring. Whether Regina realized it or not, she was shaking.

Regina took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She needed Emma to understand what she was getting into. "Emma-"

"Just listen to me," Emma interrupted. "I love you. Our pasts were both rough, and yet here we are. Love always wins, Regina. And whether you believe it or not, you do deserve a happy ending. I don't care that you were the Evil Queen. I care about who you are now. And who you are now is an amazing woman that I would be proud to call my wife."

Regina looked at Emma and saw that she was being genuine. Emma's gaze held nothing but love as she looked at Regina. "I love you too," Regina said.

Emma smiled before holding up the ring. "So, Regina Mills, will you marry me?"

Regina laughed before nodding. "Yes."

Emma smiled before slipping the ring onto Regina's finger. "Now leave that there," she commanded gently. "I don't want to have to ask again."

 **Short one today, but I was in a hurry. Hope you enjoyed!**


	124. Day 124: Emma's Pen

"Where is my pen?" Emma asked. She looked all over her desk, frantically looking under papers. She ended up just picking up all of the papers and dropping them onto the floor. Still no pen.

"What are you doing?" David asked, walking into the room. "Why are your papers all over the floor?"

"I can't find my pen," Emma said. She gave up on finding it on top of her desk, so she started to search in her drawers. Everything in her drawers was tossed onto the floor.

"So you're destroying your desk for a pen?" David asked.

"It's the pen that I use everyday," Emma said, still searching. "I need it."

David picked a pen up from his desk and brought it over to her. "Just use this one. I'll help you clean up this stuff."

Emma shook her head. "I can't use that pen. I need my pen."

"It's a pen," David said in confusion.

"My pen," Emma said, going back to her search. David shook his head before walking back to his desk. He pulled out his phone and called the only person who would probably know what was going on. The town's Emma expert. Regina Mills.

* * *

"What in the world happened here?" Regina asked, walking into the station. "It looks like your desk exploded."

"Funny," Emma said. "I can't find my pen."

"Your pen?" Regina asked in confusion.

"Yes, my pen," Emma said. "I can't find it and I need it to get my paperwork done. I can't get it done without my pen."

"Okay," Regina said calmly. "I'm sure that it's around here somewhere." She had learned over time that Emma had certain things that could never change, or it would result in a freak-out. Probably due to time in the system. This pen must be one of those things.

"That's the problem," Emma said, starting to get worked up. "I've checked this whole entire desk and it's not here. I literally need it."

"Take a deep breath," Regina said. "We'll find it, and then everything will be fine. What does the pen look like?"

"It's just a typical blue gel pen," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "Nothing special, but I use it everyday."

Regina nodded. "How about you use magic to bring it here?"

"How would I do that?" Emma asked.

"Picture the pen on the desk," Regina said. "And think about how badly you want it."

Emma nodded before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. In a little puff of white smoke, Emma's pen was right in front of her.

"Oh thank goodness," Emma said, picking up the pen.

Regina smiled. "Now we should probably clean up all of the disaster that was your desk."

Emma winced before looking at everything on the floor next to her desk. "I guess I did kind of go crazy, huh?"

Regina laughed before walking over and starting to pick up the papers on the floor. "You're always crazy. But yes, you had a little freak-out moment. Not as bad as other times though." Back when Emma had first moved in, Regina had moved her toothbrush and Emma had been so freaked out by it that she had started crying. Emma didn't do well with change.

Emma put down the pen before crouching down and helping to clean up her things. "Sorry for dragging you here all the way from work."

"I don't work that far away," Regina chuckled. "And I never turn down a chance to be here for you. You know that."

Emma smiled, putting a huge pile of papers back onto her desk. "I know. How did you even know to come?"

"That would be me," David said, crouching down to help in the cleaning. "I didn't know what to do, but I figured that she would."

"You called her here for me?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Don't look so surprised," David said, smiling. "You're my daughter. And if I can't understand you, but you need help, I have no problem calling Regina."

Regina smiled as Emma pulled David in for a hug. "Well, I think I'll leave you two to your sheriff duties," she said. She stood up, but stopped as Emma grabbed her hand.

"Thank you," Emma said, squeezing her hand. "I love you."

"I love you more," Regina teased, squeezing Emma's hand back.

"Not possible," Emma said, pulling her down for a kiss.

"As much as I love that you're happy together, could we tone down the love?" David asked.

Regina rolled her eyes as Emma laughed. "I had to sit through several years of 'I will always find you'. Consider this payback."

Regina smirked as David laughed. "Fair enough. Carry on." He got up off of the floor and went back to his desk.

Emma turned back to Regina before getting up off of the floor. "Now then, where were we?"

 **The pen thing is totally me. I have a certain pencil that I always use for school and homework, and I always freak out when I can't find it.**


	125. Day 125: Taking Her Bullet

**This chapter is for Marina with the prompt: "Emma gets hurt, shot while working or something like that and Regina freaks out because she can't lose Emma and be left to raise the kids by herself. A little angst and fluff."**

Emma walked towards Granny's, cursing her bug for finally breaking down. Hopefully she would make it to Granny's on time. Regina had a thing about being late, especially when it was family time.

As she was walking past an alley, an arm reached out and roughly pulled her into the darkness. Emma struggled, but was pushed to the ground before she would harm her attacker.

Jumping to her feet, Emma looked in confusion at her attacker. Since the person was dressed in all black and wearing a mask, it was hard to identify who it was. "Who are you?"

"Someone who's trying to help you," the attacker said. Emma noticed with shock that it was a female voice. "You can't continue your relationship with the mayor. She's evil. Far more evil than you realize."

"What is with you people?" Emma asked in annoyance. "She's not the Evil Queen anymore! She's my wife and the mother of our three children. Move on."

The attacker shook her head. "Evil never dies, no matter how much light is shown. The only way to expel the darkness is to destroy it."

"Destroy it?" Emma asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means," the attacker said, pulling a gun out of her coat. "That's it's time to say goodbye to your lovely mayor. I just wanted to make sure that you were out of the way. Can't have you stopping me." With that, the attacker ran off, towards the diner.

Emma cursed before chasing after her. The attacker had a huge head start, mainly because Emma had been far into the alley, and had been caught off guard.

The attacker glanced back at Emma before starting to run faster. Emma inwardly groaned before picking up her pace. She couldn't let this crazy woman hurt Regina. It wasn't an option. Not to mention the fact that Henry, Ava, and Lola were all with Regina in the diner.

Emma was starting to gain on the attacker, but they were quickly starting to reach the diner. Panting harshly, Emma knew what she had to do. Pushing herself one last final bit, Emma caught up to the attacker before tackling her to the ground.

"Get off!" the attacker shouted. "I have to do this!"

"Like hell you do," Emma growled, trying to grab the gun. They fought each other, Emma trying to get the weapon, the attacker trying to keep it.

Time seemed to slow as a single shot rang out. Emma didn't realize who had been hit until she felt the pain in her side and saw the blood starting to gather on her shirt.

The attacker blinked and looked at Emma in surprise before dropping the gun and quickly running away. Emma watched her go and gritted her teeth against the pain as she heard the door to Granny's slam open.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed, running to her. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Something like that," Emma said, putting pressure on her wound. "I may need to go to the hospital."

Regina looked at her in confusion until she saw the blood on Emma's shirt. Her eyes widened as she visibly paled. "Someone shot you."

"I'll be fine," Emma said. "I just need the bullet removed and be patched up and it'll be fine. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Regina asked. "No big deal?"

"Listen to me," Emma said. "You can freak out in a minute. But right now, I need you to poof us to the hospital."

Regina nodded and grabbed Emma's hand. Before they left, she turned to Henry. "Take them home," she said, nodding towards Ava and Lola. Henry nodded and pulled his sister's close.

"Eyes open," Regina said to Emma. Emma's eyes snapped open before she smiled guiltily at Regina.

"Fine my ass," Regina grumbled. Emma chuckled before Regina poofed the two of them to the hospital.

* * *

Regina paced back and forth in the waiting room. Henry, Ava, and Lola were all home safe and sound. Lola had even been able to cast a protection spell on the mansion. Her magic was getting better.

Snow and David exchanged a glance as they watched Regina pace. Really, they were watching her fingertips, which were glowing purple. Regina never lost control of her magic.

"What's taking so long?" Regina asked. Snow and David jumped at her voice. She sounded like she had when she was the Evil Queen. Guarded. Angry.

"I don't know," Snow said quietly. "I'm sure they're doing the best that they can."

"Yes, because that seems to be doing so much right now," Regina said sarcastically. Snow and David winced at her tone.

"Maybe you should sit down," David suggested. "Take some deep breaths and calm down."

"I don't think you understand," Regina said, glaring at him and Snow. "I cannot lose her. If I lose her, I will lose myself. And I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm pretty close to losing it." She held up her hands to prove her point, which were still glowing purple.

"I have never lost control. Even when facing my mother, my magic has never gotten away from me. And right now, it finally is," Regina said. "That is how freaked out I am right now."

Snow and David were at a loss for words. Regina had never admitted to being freaked out by anything. Snow went to say something, but Whale walked out into the waiting room, immediately gaining Regina's attention.

Whale glanced at Regina's hands. "Everything okay out here?"

Regina waved her hand dismissively, causing some of the lights to flicker. "Don't worry about it. How's Emma?"

Whale glanced at the lights before looking at Regina with a little trace of fear. He had never seen her lose control. "She's fine. We removed the bullet and patched her up, so she'll be able to go home in a couple days. We'll keep her here to make sure nothing gets infected."

Regina nodded in satisfaction. "Can I see her?"

Whale glanced at her hands, which were still glowing purple. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

David placed his hand on Regina's arm before she let her magic loose. "Let her see Emma," he said. "It'll be fine."

Whale sighed before nodding. Regina smiled gratefully at David before following Whale back to Emma's room.

* * *

"Don't stay too long," Whale cautioned. "She needs her rest."

Regina nodded, but planned on staying as long as she pleased. If anything, she could just place a barrier around the room.

Emma opened her eyes as soon as she heard the door open, smiling when she saw Regina enter. Regina didn't smile back, choosing instead to just sit next to Emma's hospital bed.

"Regina?" Emma asked. "Everything okay?"

"No, everything's not okay," Regina said. She held up her hands and watched as Emma's eyes widened. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

"Your magic," Emma said. "You're losing control."

Regina nodded. "Seeing you bleeding in front of me, and then having you whisked away by doctors and me not knowing what was going on just added up." She looked down at her hands, sighing as they continued to glow. "I can't make them stop."

"Because you're still freaking out," Emma said. She scooted over, patting the spot next to her on the bed. Regina smiled before sitting next to her, quickly wrapping her arms around Emma. Emma leaned into Regina's embrace, patiently waiting as Regina calmed herself down.

Regina sighed in relief as her hands stopped glowing. Just having Emma in her arms made everything better again.

"See?" Emma asked. "I told you that I would be fine."

"I could have lost you," Regina said. "You could have died. And I would have had to take care of the kids on my own. Some things only you can do. I don't play video games like you do. You're the cool mom, and they can't lose you, and I can't lose you. I can't."

Emma squeezed Regina gently, trying to stop her rambling. Regina took a deep breath before resting her head on top of Emma's. "I'm sorry for scaring you," Emma said. "But the person who shot me was going to shoot you. I couldn't let that happen. Not with the kids with you."

Regina tensed. "You took a bullet for me? You told me that that was just an expression!"

Emma chuckled. "It usually is. I don't regret it though. You're safe, and that's all that matters to me."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Curse you and your need to help people."

Emma laughed before wincing. "As much as I would love to laugh, I probably shouldn't."

Regina hummed in agreement, beginning to play with Emma's hair. Emma sighed in content at her touch, slowly starting to fall asleep.

A couple minutes later, Regina smiled as Emma's breathing finally evened out, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

"Don't you worry," Regina whispered to her. "I will find out who did this to you."

 **Lola used magic! Did you catch it?**


	126. Day 126: Cavity

**This chapter is for AngieSashaLanaFan7810157277 with the prompt "The Dentist"**

"You have a dentist appointment today," Regina said, sitting next to Emma at the table.

"Do I?" Emma asked. "I don't remember scheduling one. Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, considering I'm the one who scheduled it for you," Regina said. "Otherwise you wouldn't go at all."

"Because I don't want to go," Emma said, pouting. "It's not natural to have people touching inside your mouth."

Regina chuckled. "They're helping you. If you didn't go in, that cavity in your mouth would just get worse. As would the pain."

"What pain?" Emma asked, looking away from her. "There's no pain."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Stop being so stubborn. Your appointment is at 2. Don't make me come get you."

"Fine," Emma huffed.

Regina smiled before kissing her gently. "I'll see you later. Be good for the dentist."

* * *

Emma sat in the sheriff station, glancing at the clock. It was almost 2, but she had no plans of actually going to the dentist. She glanced over and saw David texting, probably taking a break from the loads of paperwork that they had to complete.

The clock struck 2 and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't go now anyway. And she could just tell Regina that she had gotten caught up in her paperwork. Another dentist appointment successfully averted.

Suddenly in a cloud of purple smoke, Regina appeared. Emma jumped at her sudden appearance before ducking under her desk. Regina rolled her eyes before walking behind the desk. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hiding," Emma said. "If I can't see you, you can't see me."

"That's not how this works," Regina said. "Come out already."

"Is that a lesbian quip?" Emma teased, hoping to distract her. David snorted from his desk.

"You're under a desk, not in a closet," Regina said. "Be reasonable. Now get out from under the desk. You have a dentist appointment."

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Emma asked.

"Yes, but I had a feeling that you weren't going to go to your appointment, so I came here to make sure you did," Regina said.

Emma smiled guiltily. "Sorry. But not that sorry."

Regina laughed. "I know that you're not sorry. Now let's go, or you'll be late."

Emma looked at her in confusion. "Aren't I already late? You said the appointment was at 2."

"I did," Regina agreed. "That doesn't mean that it's actually at 2."

Emma's jaw dropped. "You lied to me? That's just mean!"

"They don't call me the Evil Queen for nothing," Regina said. "Your appointment is actually at 2:30, which means that we have 20 minutes to get there. So come on. Out from under the desk."

Emma sighed. "I don't want to."

"I know," Regina said. "But you have to." She held her hand out, which Emma reluctantly took with a sigh.

"Trust me, you'll feel much better after you get it fixed," Regina said, kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm still slightly offended that you lied to me about what time it was," Emma huffed.

Regina laughed. "I'm sorry. But I knew that if I told you the actual time, I wouldn't have time to get you to go."

Emma sighed. "I guess you're not wrong."

"It was nice knowing you," David teased from his desk.

"David!" Regina scolded. "The goal is to get her to actually go."

Emma laughed. "It's not like I actually have a choice. But thanks Dad."

"Anytime," David said, going back to his paperwork.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Ready to go?"

"If I say no, will you let me stay here?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No," Regina said, grabbing her hand. Before she could protest, Regina poofed them both to the dentist's office.

* * *

"See?" Regina asked. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"I can't feel the right side of my mouth," Emma said, poking her cheek. Regina bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"It's not funny!" Emma said. "I can't even pout properly."

Regina laughed. "It'll wear off."

"What if it doesn't?" Emma asked, her eyes widening. "What if the right side of my mouth is numb forever?"

Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. "I promise that it'll wear off."

Emma nodded and relaxed. "Thank you for going with me. Actually, for making me go. I wouldn't have gone if you hadn't forced me to."

"Oh I know," Regina said, smiling. "And you're welcome. Now let's go home. I think you're due for a movie and a good cuddle."

"Can't protest with that," Emma said, following her out of the dentist's office. "Can't protest at all."

 **I take pride in the fact that I've only ever had one cavity. One was enough.**


	127. Day 127: Dorm Room

**This chapter is for amywood.581 with the prompt: "Ikea"**

"You know, we need to go shopping for your dorm room," Emma said to Ava.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Ava said. "My roommate sent me a picture of the things that she bought already, so we can match that."

"Perfect," Emma said. "Let me see the picture."

Ava handed Emma her phone, and Emma looked at the picture of the things that Ava's roommate had already bought. "This'll be easy to match."

"Where are we going to get stuff at?" Ava asked.

"Ikea," Emma said. "It's a furniture store outside of town."

"Not sure that mom will like that idea," Ava said. "She already doesn't like the idea of me leaving for a college out of town like Henry did. I doubt that she's going to like the idea of leaving to get furniture."

"There's no store's here that have what we're looking for," Emma pointed out. "I'm sure that she'll be fine with it."

"Then you can be the one to ask her," Ava said. "Unfortunately for me, I do not have the same puppy-dog eyes that you and Lola do."

Emma laughed. "You make a good point. I'll talk to her."

* * *

"No," Regina said. "She's already leaving town for college. There's no way that we're going out of town so close to when she's going to be leaving."

"She's not leaving for another few months," Emma argued.

"Not the point," Regina said. "The point is that it's not worth it. I'm sure there's a store here that will have what she's looking for."

"That's the problem," Emma said. "There isn't one. Trust me, I wouldn't suggest leaving the town if there wasn't a good reason. Come on Regina. This is for Ava."

Regina sighed. "I don't like leaving town."

"Because of your magic?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "Because every time that I leave this town, or someone that I love leaves, things always go wrong."

"That's not true," Emma said.

"But it is," Regina argued. "You and Henry left, and your memories were erased. Henry came back and had no idea who I was. Robin had to leave with his wife and son, and Zelena got ahold of him. Now Henry left, and I hardly see him anymore. People leaving this town never ends well for me."

"Ava's not Henry," Emma said gently. "I don't know if you remember, but she was in the system. I can guarantee that she'll call every weekend."

Regina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Once she leaves, all we have is Lola. What happens when Lola leaves?"

"She's only 8," Emma said, chuckling. "I think we have some time before we need to start worrying about that."

"Time flies," Regina mumbled. "Before you know it, we'll be getting furniture for her dorm room."

"If it makes you feel any better, Ava wants to get frames for a bunch of family photos to take with her," Emma said.

Regina laughed. "I guess that makes things a little better."

"So we can go?" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina sighed. "We can go."

* * *

Emma laughed at the amazement in Regina's eyes at seeing the store. "Once we get back to town, I am putting one of these there," Regina said.

"You can do that?" Emma asked.

"I created the town," Regina said, shrugging. "Of course I can add things to it."

"So where do we start?" Ava asked. "This place has a lot more stuff than I was expecting."

Emma smiled before grabbing her and Regina's hands. "It's not as big as it looks. We'll start in the bedroom section."

"How do you know this place so well?" Ava asked.

Emma blushed. "I may have...uh...snuck in here at night to have a place to sleep when I was on the run."

Regina snorted. "Only you."

"There are some really comfy beds in here!" Emma said. "And it wasn't hard. All I had to do was hide from the security guards after hours. They never did a thorough search or anything."

"Did you ever get caught?" Ava asked.

"Me? Get caught?" Emma asked. "Course not. This was the place that I stayed at until I stole my bug and met Neal."

"So no one here is going to recognize you?" Regina asked.

Emma bit her lip. "We might want to be a little careful, but I think we should be okay."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "This is what I get for marrying a criminal."

Ava burst out laughing as Emma's cheeks turned bright red. "Shut up Regina."

Regina chuckled before kissing her cheek. "I'm kidding. Kind of."

"You two are dangerous to shop with," Ava said. "We're never going to get everything done."

Emma and Regina laughed. "Sorry," Emma said. "We'll concentrate now. What does your roommate's stuff look like again?"

 **I didn't realize how far apart age-wise that Lola and Ava were until I did the math. Oh well, Lola's my baby.**


	128. Day 128: Doubting

Emma sat alone in Granny's, picking at her food. Regina had a meeting, and Henry was out with friends, so Emma was all alone for dinner. Not that she minded. Sometimes it was nice to be alone with your thoughts.

"Why are you all alone?" Belle asked, sitting across from Emma.

"Henry is with a friend and Regina is at a meeting," Emma said, shrugging. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Regina's at a meeting?" Belle asked, confused. "But Ruby just said that she was heading over to her house."

"She did?" Emma asked. Would Regina lie to her? Was she secretly seeing Ruby?

"Are you okay?" Belle asked. "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine," Emma said. She paid for her meal before getting up from the table. "I think that I'm going to go now though. Thanks Belle."

Belle looked after Emma in concern as she left the diner. What was going on?

* * *

Emma parked her bug in front of Regina's house. She wasn't just going to storm in and accuse Regina of cheating on her, because that would be ridiculous. Instead, she was going to investigate further.

Getting out of the bug, Emma crept silently towards the side of the house, peeking in the window. No one appeared to be in the living room.

Emma did a circle of the house before she arrived at Regina's study. Hearing voices from inside, Emma tried to look in. The curtains were shut.

"Dang it," Emma mumbled. She pressed her ear up to the glass, trying to eavesdrop on what was going on.

"Regina that's perfect!" Ruby said happily. "I could kiss you."

Emma's eyes widened before she hurriedly backed away from the window. How could Regina do this? Not watching where she was going, Emma tripped on a rock and fell into a bush. Scrambling to her feet, Emma brushed herself off before walking to the front door.

After several seconds of crazed knocking on the door, Ruby opened it. "Emma," she said in surprise. "What are you-"

"Doing here?" Emma interrupted. "I could ask you the same question."

Ruby blushed. "I was just-"

"Save it," Emma interrupted again. "I need to talk to Regina." She pushed her way past Ruby and walked quickly to the study. At least she had caught Regina red-handed. If she hadn't, this could have gone on right under her nose for who knows how long.

"Emma wait!" Ruby called.

Emma rolled her eyes before opening the door to Regina's study. She froze at seeing what was going on. Regina was standing in front of Snow, David, the dwarfs, and Granny, holding Emma's baby blanket.

"Emma?" Snow asked. "What are you doing here? And why do you have leaves in your hair?"

"I, um," Emma said, blushing. "I'm just going to go die in a hole now." She turned quickly and left the room, walking quickly towards the front door.

"Emma!" Regina called after her. She set down the blanket before fast walking to the front door, grabbing Emma's arm. When Emma didn't pull away, Regina let go of her arm and grabbed her hand instead, pulling her towards the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Emma said when Regina dropped her hand. "I'm an idiot."

"You are," Regina agreed. "But you're my idiot."

Emma smiled. "I bet you're angry with me. I trusted that you really did have a meeting, but then Belle told me that Ruby was heading over to your house and I just had my doubts."

"I'm not angry," Regina said gently. "I know how things must have looked." She reached over and gently took the leaves out of Emma's hair.

"You do?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Don't look so surprised," Regina said, laughing. "I'm a very understanding person. Kind of."

Emma chuckled. "I'm sorry for being dumb and thinking that you were cheating on me. I know that you would never do that."

Regina smiled before pulling Emma to her and kissing her gently. "No, I wouldn't. I love you too much to do that."

"I know," Emma said. "By the way, why did you have my baby blanket?"

"Ruby wants to go back to the Enchanted Forest," Regina explained. "I thought that maybe your blanket would be able to give some insight into how the portal worked."

"But my blanket didn't bring me here," Emma said in confusion.

"No, but it had some of the portal's magic left on it from the wardrobe," Regina said.

"Oh," Emma said.

"I didn't invite you to the meeting because I know how you feel about the whole wardrobe situation," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "Thank you. And I really am sorry for doubting you."

"You can stop apologizing now," Regina said. "It really is fine. Besides, Ruby isn't my type anyway."

"You have a type?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "A woman with blonde hair, beautiful green eyes, and a smile that lights up the room."

Emma smiled. "See? There it is," Regina said.

"So your type is me?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "And don't you forget it."

 **So I need your help my lovely readers. I got a review to have Emma have a baby. I have no problem with it, but I was wondering if I should add him to the Swan-Mills family, or make him separate from the rest and just mention him in this story. I'm conflicted. Thoughts?**


	129. Day 129: The Naming

**This chapter is for AngieSashaLanaFan7810157277 (that's a mouthful) with the prompt: "Prompt Accidental Pregnancy. Regina accidentally gets Emma pregnant adding another kid to their family."**

 **So I kinda used you guys as guinea pigs as to what I actually wanted to do. As I read your reviews (which I definitely appreciated by the way), I realized that even though it would be great to add someone new to the Swan-Mills family, Lola always has been, and always will be, the baby of the family.**

 **To make up for any disappointment, I'm presenting you all with a little game. This little guy's name took a lot of thinking. So, the first reviewer to guess how I got his name gets a character in tomorrow's chapter. What I do with you is up to me. May the odds be ever in your favor :)**

Emma paced back in forth in front of the sink. This couldn't be happening. Could it? Anxious, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It had only been 2 minutes.

"Emma?" Regina called. "Are you ok? You've been in there for an awfully long time."

"I'm fine!" Emma said quickly. "Nothing to worry about. Just an upset stomach I think." She prayed that Regina would just drop it and walk away. But of course she had no such luck.

"You've been in there for almost 10 minutes," Regina said.

"Just an upset stomach," Emma repeated, glancing at the clock. One more minute.

Regina sighed before opening the door. "Regina!" Emma exclaimed, quickly moving to stand in front of the pregnancy test on the counter.

"Upset stomach?" Regina asked, crossing her arms. "Why are you hiding in the bathroom?"

"I'm not," Emma said. "I was just, um, admiring your wonderful taste in decor."

Regina rolled her eyes. "That was lame. How about the truth this time?"

Emma sighed. "You have to promise not to freak out."

"That's never good," Regina said. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Emma said. "This is totally your fault."

"My fault?" Regina asked.

Emma reached behind her and picked up the test, making sure to cover up the result, before showing it to Regina.

Regina's eyes widened. "You're pregnant?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "The symptoms are all there."

"Wait, how is this my fault?" Regina asked. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't have the necessary equipment to make you pregnant."

"And I don't know if you've noticed, but you're the only person that I have sex with," Emma countered.

"But how is this possible?" Regina asked.

"Magic? Emma suggested. "We both have very powerful magic."

"Oh my god," Regina said. "We created a baby with magic."

"You don't know that," Emma said quickly. "I haven't even looked at the test yet. We could be getting all worked up for nothing."

"So look at it!" Regina exclaimed. "Now I want to know."

Emma took a deep breath before moving her hand. She gasped before looking at Regina with wide eyes. "Oh my god. We created a baby with magic."

* * *

8 months later, Emma held another baby boy in her arms. Only this time, she sure as hell wasn't going to let him go.

"What's his name?" Snow asked, looking at him with a huge smile on her face.

Emma and Regina exchanged a smile. When originally picking baby names, they had both come across this name, loving it instantly. But, it was technically a girl's name. After much debate, they both decided that they didn't care. The name was too perfect.

"His name is Kader," Emma said. "Kader David."

David and Snow exchanged a glance. "Yes, after you," Regina said, nodding to David. "Henry had my father's name, so we thought that it would be appropriate for Kader to have yours."

David smiled. "Thank you."

"We'll leave you guys alone," Snow said, grabbing David's hand. "Enjoy some family bonding time."

Emma smiled at her. "Thank you."

After they left, Regina sat next to Emma on the hospital bed, kissing the top of Kader's head. "I told you so," Regina whispered.

"Told me what?" Emma asked.

"A long time ago, I told you that I was going to change my fate," Regina said. "That I would get my happy ending. Well here's that change."

Emma smiled down at Kader. "Change of fate indeed."

 **Who's going to get it? I gave you how I got his middle name, so don't worry about that. But where did his first name come from? Good luck!**


	130. Day 130: Tea Time

**The winner of the name game was luci465! Kader is a Turkish name meaning fate or destiny. Congrats! As your reward, you get to be featured with the Swan-Mills family, and of course, little Lola. Enjoy! :)**

"Mommy!" Lola called, running down the hallway. "Where are you?"

"Boo!" Regina exclaimed, popping out from behind the corner. Lola yelped in surprise before starting to laugh. Regina laughed before scooping her up and tickling her.

Lola giggled, squirming in Regina's arms. "Not the tickle monster!"

Regina laughed before stopping her tickling and kissing Lola on her little cheek. "Did you need something?" Regina asked. "Or did you just want to say hi?"

"You need a break," Lola said seriously. "Come join me and Luci for our tea party."

"Luci?" Regina asked. Was there some little girl in the house that she didn't know about? Was Lola now using her magic to poof children into their house?

"She's my best friend," Lola said. She squirmed in Regina's arms, indicating that she wanted to be let down.

Regina put her down gently. "Your best friend huh? How come I've never met her before?"

Lola just grabbed Regina's hand and led the way to her room. Regina looked in confusion at the tea table. There was no one there.

"Where's Luci?" Regina asked.

Lola pointed to the chair right next to the one where she normally sat. "She's right there. See? She's waving to you."

Regina was entirely confused. Could Lola see ghosts? Maybe she should take Lola in to see Archie…

"Mommy?" Lola asked from her chair. "Aren't you going to join us?"

Regina smiled. "I'm sorry sweetie. But I have some more work that I need to get done first. I'll come back when I'm done, okay?"

"Okay," Lola said. She picked up the teapot and began pouring the "tea" into cups. Regina watched her for a while before leaving the room and heading back to her office.

* * *

Emma sat in the sheriff's station, bored out of her mind. There wasn't anything to do but paperwork, and she couldn't visit Regina at work because now she was working from home. At least until Lola went to school.

Hearing her phone go off, Emma's face lit up. What had happened? Did someone get into a fight? She could go for being in the middle of a fight.

Instead of a fight, it was just a text from Regina.

R: _You need to come home. Right now._

E: _Why? Is everything okay?_

R: _No. There's something wrong with Lola_

E: _There will always be something wrong with Lola. She's half me._

R: _Emma, I'm serious. Something's wrong_

E: _Okay, hang tight. I'm on my way_

Emma grabbed her keys. "I have to head home. Something's wrong with Lola apparently."

"I can cover things here," David assured her. "Go deal with that. Hope everything's okay."

Emma smiled gratefully at him before quickly leaving the station.

* * *

"What's going on?" Emma asked, walking into Regina's office.

"Just come with me," Regina said. She grabbed Emma's hand and led her silently to Lola's room. They both peeked inside, seeing nothing but Lola playing with her tea set.

"What's the problem?" Emma asked. "She's having a tea party."

"Would you like some more tea Luci?" Lola asked from inside her room. "Careful! It's very hot."

"That," Regina said. "That is the problem. She's talking to some girl that isn't even there! Can she see ghosts? Should we take her to Archie?"

Emma covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She squeezed Regina's hand before pulling her back to her office.

"You can stop freaking out now," Emma said, smiling. "There's nothing wrong with her."

"But she's talking to someone that isn't even there," Regina said. "I think that's cause for some worry."

"Did they not have imaginary friends in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked.

"Imaginary what?" Regina asked.

"I'm going to take that as a no," Emma said, chuckling. "Lola has an imaginary friend named Luci. It's a friend that only she can see. Lola created her with her imagination."

"And that's normal?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Lots of little kids have one. It's completely normal."

Regina sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought that she was talking to the ghost of some dead child that was haunting our house."

Emma burst out laughing. "You worry way too much. And some day, I am really going to enjoy telling Lola this story."


	131. Day 131: Missing Pages

**So I'm almost done with watching Season 5! Honestly, it's so hard to find stuff to use for Season 5 because it revolves so much around Captain Swan. Oh well.**

Emma sat in the kitchen of the mansion, flipping through Henry's storybook. It was so crazy, seeing herself as a baby in someone's storybook. The beginning of her life, written down as a story.

Emma paused as she got to a picture of Regina as the Evil Queen. Looking closer at the binding, Emma's eyes widened. Some of the pages were missing. But who had ripped them out?

"What are you doing reading my storybook?" Henry asked, walking into the room.

Emma shrugged. "Just reading it. I haven't looked at it in a long time. Do you know who ripped these pages out?"

Henry ran his fingers over the edge of the ripped pages. "No idea. I don't even know what's supposed to be on them."

"Well that's something that I haven't seen in a long time," Regina said, walking into the room. "What're you reading it for?"

"Just for fun," Emma said. "Although we did come across a slight dilemma."

"What's that?" Regina asked, starting to pull out ingredients for pancakes.

"There's pages missing," Henry said. "Like someone ripped them out."

Emma and Henry jumped as they heard a crash. They both looked at Regina, who quickly bent down to pick up the bowl that she had dropped. "Sorry."

"You okay?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded before starting to mix her ingredients. Henry and Emma exchanged a glance. Something was up.

* * *

Regina was having a normal day at work when her phone rang. "Mayor Mills."

"Hey there," Emma said.

"Hi," Regina replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"We've had a little development," Emma said.

"Development?" Regina asked. "What do you mean? There's not some operation going on that I don't know about is there?"

"No, nothing like that," Emma reassured her quickly. "It has to do with what we were talking about this morning. With the missing story pages."

Regina's eyes widened. "What about them?"

"I may have found them," Emma said. "And I think I know why they're missing. And who ripped them out."

Regina mentally cursed. "You do?"

Emma opened the door to Regina's office, phone still pressed to her ear. She held up the pages for Regina to see. "I do."

Regina gulped before hanging up. "How did you find those?"

"Same way that my mom found the book in the first place," Emma said, hanging up her phone and placing it in her pocket. "It just appeared to me." She walked forward and put the pages on Regina's desk.

Regina winced at seeing them. "I got rid of these a long time ago."

"I figured," Emma said. "But what I don't understand is why they suddenly appeared to me. And why you hid them from me."

Regina sighed. "I hid them from everybody. I ripped them out the moment that Henry got the book. I didn't want to risk him recognizing me in the book."

"So why did they appear to me?" Emma asked.

"You're always asking what I was like as the Evil Queen," Regina said. "And every time I always change the subject. Looks like the book wanted you to know."

Emma chuckled. "Clever book."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, clever book indeed."

Emma picked up the page on top, a picture of Regina crushing a heart staring back at her. "Stop that," Regina said, grabbing the page from her. "There's a reason that I ripped those out."

"And?" Emma asked. "I already read them anyway. I was curious."

Regina visibly paled. "You've already read them? Why would you do that? I ripped them out for a reason!"

"I'm not Henry," Emma said. "I know that you've changed. Reading these pages just proved it even more to me."

"It did?" Regina asked. "You don't hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" Emma asked.

"I killed so many people," Regina whispered. "I tried to kill your mother for _years_. How could you not hate me?"

"You know who I see when I look at these pages?" Emma asked, pointing to them.

"Me," Regina said, glaring at the pages.

Emma shook her head. "I see the Evil Queen." She reached out and gently grasped Regina's chin, forcing Regina's eyes to meet her own. "You know who I see in front of me right now?"

Regina shook her head. "I see you," Emma said, smiling gently. "Just you, Regina. Not the Evil Queen. There's a difference."

"There is?" Regina asked.

Emma let go of her chin before picking up the page with Regina crushing a heart. She turned it to face Regina. "Do you still do this?" she asked.

"Of course not," Regina said quickly.

"See?" Emma asked. "You're not her anymore."

Regina gently took the page from her. She traced her own face on the page. "No. I'm not her anymore."

Emma smiled. "So we can put the pages back in the book?"

"One step at a time," Regina mumbled. "Let me get used to seeing these pages again first. Then we'll talk."

"Okay," Emma said, kissing her gently. "Take all the time you need."


	132. Day 132: In Sickness and In Health

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Chicken Pox"**

Regina shivered underneath her blanket. It was a normal temperature in the house, and yet it felt like she was in the middle of an igloo.

Emma walked into the living room, carrying the thermometer. "Found it! You had it pretty well hidden."

Regina chuckled. "Sorry. Just haven't had much use for it I guess."

Emma gently stuck the thermometer into Regina's mouth. "Well," she said. "You definitely have a fever."

Regina sighed as Emma took the thermometer out of her mouth. "How could I just randomly get a fever?" She rubbed her neck in discomfort.

Emma's eyes widened at her seeing her neck. She reached out and delicately grabbed Regina's wrist, pulling her hand away from her neck.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked, seeing her concerned expression. "Is there something on my neck?"

"Does your neck itch?" Emma asked.

"A little," Regina admitted. "Why?"

"Because it looks like you have chickenpox," Emma said.

Regina's eyes widened and she quickly poofed a mirror into her hand, turning it to face her neck. "Great," she mumbled.

"You'll be fine," Emma said gently. "You just need to stop scratching."

"Easier said than done," Regina said. "You should probably go. Isn't this extremely contagious?"

"It is," Emma agreed. "But I made a vow. I do believe it was something like 'in sickness and in health'. Remember that?"

Regina nodded. "But I don't want you to get it."

Emma shrugged. "I've already had it. I can't get it again."

"What about Henry?" Regina asked. "He's never had it before."

"He can say hi from a distance," Emma said. "As long as he doesn't touch you, he should be safe from it."

Regina nodded before reaching up to slowly rub her neck. Emma tsked before grabbing her hand. "Scratching will just make it worse."

"But it itches," Regina whined.

"I know," Emma said. "Why don't we do something to take your mind off of it?"

"Like what?" Regina asked.

"Movie day?" Emma suggested. "I'll even let you pick the movie. As long as you actually watch it and don't just scratch the whole time."

"What?" Regina asked, feigning innocence. "Me? Do that? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh," Emma said, joining her on the couch. "Sure you don't."

* * *

After a week of a constant battle, Regina's chickenpox was finally gone. Thanks to Emma finally duct taping oven mitts to her hands; Regina actually had survived the ordeal without any scars.

Regina smiled to herself before heading into the living room, where a pouting Emma was waiting for her.

"Is this really necessary?" Emma asked, holding up her hands.

Regina laughed at the oven mitts covering them. "You did it to me. Consider it my revenge for doing it to me and lying to me. You've never actually had chickenpox."

"I just wanted to help," Emma whined. "I didn't think that it was actually that contagious!"

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Only you would put yourself in this situation. See what happens when you help people?"

Emma chuckled. "Lesson learned."

Regina smiled before holding up a tube of calamine lotion. "This should help with the itching at least."

"I love you so much," Emma said gratefully.

"I love you too," Regina said. "Like you said, we made a vow. In sickness and in health."


	133. Day 133: Tonsillitis

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Lola gets tonsillitis and has to have her tonsils taken out." It's also for bstix since a Lola chapter is required for a long day :)**

Regina paced back and forth in the waiting room. "How long has it been?"

"10 minutes," Emma said, chuckling. She reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, pulling her down into the seat next to her. "Relax. I'm sure that she's fine."

"You don't know that," Regina said. "She's having surgery. And she's only 6!"

Emma squeezed her hand gently. "It's a normal procedure, I promise. She'll be fine. Her throat will just be sore for a little bit afterwards."

A while ago, Lola had gotten strep throat. After the antibiotics and sore throat, Regina and Emma were both thankful when it went away. But then it had come back, again and again. Finally, they had taken her in to see a doctor; who had informed them that Lola had tonsillitis and required surgery to have them removed.

"Now how long has it been?" Regina asked.

"Regina," Emma said gently. "The surgery is supposed to take 30-45 minutes. Asking me every 5 minutes how long it has been isn't going to make it go any faster."

Regina sighed. "I know. I just don't like sitting here and not being able to do anything. I hate feeling out of control."

Emma let go of her hand before putting an arm around her and pulling her close. "I know. But she'll be fine. Everyone in that operating room is going to take good care of her."

"Everyone in that room operating on her got their medical degrees from a curse," Regina argued. "I hardly see how I'm supposed to feel better about that."

"Everyone got the jobs they did for a reason, didn't they?" Emma asked. "If the curse placed them as doctors, they had to have at least a little medical experience."

"I guess," Regina said. "That still doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well the good thing is, she's out of surgery and in recovery," Whale said, walking into the waiting room.

Regina went to jump up from her seat, but Emma held tightly to her. "We aren't going to be able to see her," Emma whispered into Regina's ear. "She has to wake up first."

Regina sighed. "She's fine," Whale said. "I promise that you can see her as soon as she wakes up."

* * *

4 hours later, Regina and Emma walked into the house with Lola. After she had woken up, Whale had still required her to stay until they knew for sure that there weren't going to be any complications.

Regina held Lola tightly to her. Poor Lola was still drowsy, and her throat definitely hurt. Whale had recommended soft foods, and lots of rest. He had warned them that Lola would probably refuse to eat with the pain in her throat, but that the sooner she ate, the faster she would recover.

"How're you feeling Lo?" Emma asked, running her fingers gently through Lola's hair.

"Tired," Lola said. "And my throat hurts."

"I know," Emma said. "Are you hungry? It's almost dinnertime."

Lola shook her head. "I don't wanna eat. My throat hurts."

"You need to eat," Regina said, squeezing her gently. "You'll get better faster if you eat. At least a little bit."

"Then can I take a nap?" Lola asked.

"Sure," Regina said, carrying her into the kitchen.

* * *

After Lola had eaten a bowl of soup, Regina had carried her upstairs for a nap. Emma waited downstairs; making a list of all of the foods that Lola could probably eat.

"I think that's the fastest she's ever fallen asleep," Regina said, sitting next to Emma.

"I would be tired too if I had just had a surgery," Emma said. "Do you think that a smoothie counts as a meal?"

"If you put it with something else," Regina said. "Why?"

"I'm making a list of things that we could give Lola while her throat still hurts. That way when she eats, it won't hurt as much."

Regina smiled. "What?" Emma asked, looking at her. "Why are you smiling at a list of food?"

"Because when we first had Lola, you were so worried about not being a good mother," Regina said. "I'd say that you're doing a pretty good job."

"All I did was write down a list," Emma argued. "I highly doubt that I earned the parent of the year award."

"No, but a major part of being a good parent is caring," Regina said. "And you're proving that you care an awful lot."

"Of course I do, she's my daughter," Emma said.

Regina smiled before kissing her on the cheek. "Exactly."


	134. Day 134: Accident Prone

**This chapter is for AnarchyDay with the prompt: "Can you please do one where Emma accidentally curses herself, making her super clumsy and accident prone, and ends up messing things up for her wife during a meeting or something like that?!"**

Emma walked downstairs, yawning. Why did Regina have to schedule a meeting so early? Granted, it was 9:30 in the morning, but still.

Grabbing a cup, Emma poured herself some coffee. She winced at how strong it was before blindly reaching to her right and pouring in creamer.

Emma watched as the coffee turned a purplish-brown color. Did Regina get new creamer and not tell her? Shrugging, Emma took a drink. If it wasn't supposed to be drunk, it wouldn't be on the counter.

"You ready to go?" Regina asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Why is it so early?" Emma asked, finishing off her coffee cup.

"Because if I'm going to deal with the dwarfs, I'd like to do it early," Regina said. "That way it won't entirely ruin my day."

Emma chuckled before turning to put her mug in the sink. The mug slipped from her hand and hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces.

"Dang it," Emma said. "I liked that mug."

"Maybe you shouldn't have dropped it," Regina said, smirking. Emma rolled her eyes before crouching down to pick up the broken pieces.

She stood up and threw them away before walking towards the front door. "Let's go deal with some dwarfs."

* * *

The meeting was going pretty well. The dwarfs were being civil, except for Leroy. But that was usual for him, so Regina didn't think much of it.

"Emma, would you mind grabbing the papers on my desk for me?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded before getting up and walking over to Regina's desk. She picked up the pile of papers and went to walk back to Regina. Looking back at the situation, it was funny. But at the time, it was a total disaster. Emma tripped on her own shoe, falling to the floor and dropping all of the papers that she was holding.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. She stood up and walked quickly over to where Emma was sprawled on the floor. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," Emma said, getting up off of the floor. "I'll gather all of these papers."

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "They weren't that important anyway. I'll get them later." She reached out her hand, pulling Emma to her feet. They walked back to the table, and Regina took a seat.

Emma went to sit down in her chair, and missed completely. She fell to the floor, cursing when she landed hard on her butt.

"You okay sister?" Leroy asked. "You seem to be having some problems."

"I'm fine," Emma said, lifting herself back up into her chair. "Just a little more accident prone than usual today I guess."

Regina looked at her skeptically before continuing with the meeting.

Emma started getting bored after 5 more minutes, so she started playing with her pen. Regina was about to scold her for not paying attention when the pen burst, spraying ink all over Emma's hands.

Regina covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Emma groaned. "What the hell is going on?"

"Let's continue this meeting some other time," Regina said, standing up from the table. "It seems the Savior needs some saving."

* * *

After cleaning Emma off (which took a very long time considering every time Emma tried walking she would trip) Regina took her home.

"I have no idea what is going on," Emma said. "I've never been this accident prone in my entire life."

"Did anything unusual happen this morning?" Regina asked.

"Not that I can think of," Emma said. "I had my usual cup of coffee. Although the color looked a little strange."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"It was too bitter, so I put some creamer in," Emma said. "Don't know why it had a purple tint to it though. Did you buy some new stuff?"

Regina's eyes widened before she burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Emma asked.

"You must have put my potion in your coffee instead of creamer," Regina said. "I created it as an April Fool's gift for your mother, and I knew that I put it down somewhere. Guess now we know where I set it down at."

Emma's jaw dropped. "You cursed me?"

"Technically, you cursed yourself," Regina said. "I didn't force you to drink it."

Emma glared at her. "How long until it wears off?"

"Good question," Regina said. "Your mother was going to be my guinea pig when I gave it to her. But it looks like you get the job instead."

Emma picked up a pillow and threw it at Regina. She missed by several inches and ended up hitting a vase instead, sending it tumbling towards the ground.

Regina gasped before reaching out and catching it, right before it hit the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief before setting it gently back in its place.

"I think that it would be safer if you didn't touch anything right now," Regina said. "Don't want any more broken items in the house."

Emma huffed before crossing her arms. "Stupid potion."

 **A funny chapter for a sad day. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who lost someone close to them in the attacks of 9/11. We will never forget those who died.**


	135. Day 135: Magical Mishap

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Body Swap. I would love if it's set in the Swan Mills family and have two characters accidentally swap bodies because of a magical mishap. Like in the movie Freaky Friday." Since I just did the Swan-Mills family a couple days ago I'm not going to do that part, but the body swap will be fun :)**

The doorbell was ringing, and Regina had no idea why. What time was it? It had to be early, it was still dark outside. Rolling over, Regina groaned. It was 3 in the morning.

The doorbell rang again, so Regina slowly got out of bed. Whoever was at her house at this hour was going to pay. Especially if they had woken Henry up.

Peeking down the hall, Regina sighed in relief at seeing Henry's door still shut. The ringing hadn't woken him.

Regina walked downstairs, mentally preparing herself to curse whoever had woken herself up this early. "You'd better have a good reason for disturbing my sleep," she said, opening the door.

"I do," Emma said. "Hi."

"Emma," Regina said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I can go," Emma said, starting to back away from the door. "I didn't mean to disturb you or anything."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's hand. "That's not what I meant. I don't mind you being here. I meant why are you here so early?"

"I had a fight with my mom," Emma said.

"At 3 in the morning?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "It started around midnight when she and David came home from their date. I was babysitting Neal for them."

"You fought for 3 hours?" Regina asked. "That seems a little excessive. What was it about?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "You."

Regina's eyes widened. "Me?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, you. Can I come inside though? It's getting kinda cold out here."

"Of course," Regina said, pulling her inside. She shut the front door and led Emma upstairs to her bedroom.

Emma sat next to Regina on her bed before sighing. "My mom was arguing with me about me dating you. Again. That seems to be her favorite argument lately."

"I'm sorry," Regina said, wrapping her arms around Emma.

"It's not your fault," Emma said, leaning into Regina's embrace. "She just doesn't understand how much that you've changed. If only she could see things from my perspective."

"If only," Regina agreed. "Don't worry about it though. It's not worth losing sleep over. Let's go back to bed."

* * *

Emma opened her eyes the next morning, slowly stretching. She blinked to adjust her eyes to the morning sun, and froze. What was she doing in her parent's apartment? And why was she sleeping in their bed?

She rolled over, only to be met with the sleeping form of her father. Emma screamed, throwing the covers off and quickly getting out of the bed.

David jolted awake, immediately ready for an attack of some kind. "Snow?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"Not Snow," Emma said. "Just your daughter who very unfortunately switched bodies with her."

"What?" David asked. "Emma?"

"That's me," Emma said.

"What did Regina do to you?" David asked. "Did she curse you so that this would happen?"

"What? No!" Emma exclaimed. "Regina didn't do this. I think I did."

"You did?" David asked. "But why would you do that?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Emma said. "My magic just responds to my emotions, and I was pretty upset last night. I'm sure it happened because of that."

"Wait a minute…" David said. "If you're in Snow's body and she woke up next to me, then where's Snow?"

Emma's eyes widened. "She's in my body, about to wake up next to Regina."

* * *

Thankfully, Emma had managed to call Regina and wake her up before Snow did so that Regina could escape. After informing Regina of the situation, she had burst out laughing. She found it a lot funnier than Emma did.

"I still can't believe that you swapped bodies with your mother," Regina said, looking across the living room at Emma in Snow's body.

"Yes, it's very entertaining," Emma said. "Now can you fix it?"

"You know that I can't," Regina said. "Only you can. It's your magic."

"But how do I do that?" Emma asked. "I don't even know how I got like this in the first place!"

"Easy," Regina said. "You wanted Snow to understand what it's like to love me. So, your magic made that a little easier."

"How is this easier?" David asked.

"They pretend to be each other," Regina said. "Once Snow understands, you'll go back to your own bodies."

Emma went to curse, but was interrupted by a scream from upstairs. "I'll handle it," David said.

Emma grabbed his arm. "Wait. This could actually be a perfect."

"How?" David asked.

"Easy," Emma said. "If Regina goes up and acts like she doesn't know about the switch, then Snow will see how Regina acts around me."

"You want me to pretend your mother is you?" Regina asked. "You've got to be joking."

"I wish that I was," Emma said. "Please. You have to try."

Regina sighed. "Fine."

* * *

Regina mentally said every curse word she knew before taking a deep breath and opening the door to her bedroom. She had pretended to love Snow once. She could do it again. Only this time, it was a little more complicated.

"Emma?" Regina called, closing the door behind her. "Are you okay? I heard a scream."

"No, I'm not okay," Snow said. "And I'm not Emma either."

"Then who are you?" Regina asked.

"Regina, it's me," Snow said. "Somehow Emma and I swapped bodies and I ended up here. Can you change me back?"

Regina walked over and placed the back of her hand against Snow's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes," Snow said, batting Regina's hand away. "I'm telling you the truth, I swear!"

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," Regina suggested. "You were pretty worked up last night. Maybe it carried over into this morning."

"I was?" Snow asked. "Did it have anything to do with the fight with my mom?"

Regina nodded before pushing Snow back gently against the pillow. "I comforted you as best as I could, but you eventually just fell into an exhausted sleep. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"You will?" Snow asked. "Are you always here when I wake up?"

"Always," Regina agreed. "That's what you do when you love someone."

"You love me?" Snow asked.

Regina just nodded before kissing her on the forehead. "Get some sleep." She went to get up from the bed, but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She went to protest, but was pulled back onto the bed as Emma's lips met her own.

"Hi," Emma said when they broke apart. "I'm me again. You did it."

"Thank goodness," Regina said. "I was afraid I had acted nice to your mother for nothing."


	136. Day 136: Neverland Nightmares

_Emma sat in the backyard of her new home, drawing an escape plan into the dirt. If she left that night, she would be able to get far enough away that it would take a long time to find her._

" _What are you doing?" a cruel voice asked. "Big kids aren't supposed to play in the dirt."_

" _Go away Evan," Emma said, continuing her drawing. "I'm not interested in getting into a fight with you today. I'm trying to be better."_

" _What for?" Evan scoffed. "You'll never be adopted."_

" _You don't know that," Emma argued. "Someone could come along that's looking for an older kid."_

" _You and I both know that'll never happen," Evan said, sitting next to her in the grass._

 _Emma glared at him. "If all you're going to do is sit here and taunt me, you can just go away."_

 _Evan shrugged. "It's quite fun actually. You get so defensive whenever someone suggests that no one will actually adopt you. You might as well accept your fate."_

" _And what's that?" Emma asked._

" _You'll always be an orphan," Evan said. "No matter what happens, you'll always be Little Orphan Emma."_

 _Emma dropped her stick before punching Evan in the nose. "Don't call me that. I'll find a family someday, you'll see."_

" _Even if you do, they'll never really love you," Evan said. "It's hard to love someone who acts like a human Fort Knox."_

 _Emma glared at him before spinning on her heel and stalking away. He wasn't worth any more of her attention._

" _You'll see!" Evan called after her. "One day, you'll see that I'm right!"_

* * *

Emma sat up with a gasp. She looked at her surroundings and shuddered. Not matter what the Disney movie said; Neverland was not a nice place.

"You okay?" Regina asked, placing her hand gently on Emma's arm.

Emma jumped. "Jeez Regina. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," Regina apologized, chuckling. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "Just had a nightmare. Probably a side-effect of being in this place."

Regina nodded in agreement. "This place can really mess with you. Want to talk about it?"

"How messed up this island is?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said. "Your nightmare."

"Oh," Emma said. "That. Not really. I'll be fine. It wasn't like it was scary or anything."

Regina reached over and brushed the pad of her thumb against Emma's cheek. "And yet you woke up crying."

Emma blushed. "I didn't realize that I was. It's fine."

"It is not fine," Regina argued. "Why won't you let me help?"

"I don't need help," Emma protested. "I've never needed help."

"Never needed it, or never been offered it?" Regina asked. Emma winced, giving Regina her answer.

"It was just a nightmare," Emma said. "If it was serious I would have woken up screaming."

"You're not weak you know," Regina said. "Nightmares don't make you weak. Getting help from someone isn't weak."

"Yes it is," Emma hissed. "I shouldn't need help with a nightmare as stupid as this one."

"What makes it stupid?" Regina asked.

"It's so simple," Emma said. "There's nothing scary to it. It's just a stupid memory of a kid at one of my foster homes."

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"He just told me how things were," Emma said. "He was right, but I didn't want to hear it. But now I realize that he's right."

Regina reached out and grabbed her hand. "What did he tell you?"

Emma looked at Regina, tears streaming down her face. "He told me that no matter how hard I tried to get adopted, I never would. And even if I did find a family, they wouldn't love me. I would always be Little Orphan Emma."

"That's not true," Regina argued. "Your family loves you."

"Do they?" Emma countered. "Because so far all I am to them is their Savior. Clearly I'm replaceable, or they wouldn't be talking about another kid."

"That is not your fault," Regina said, glaring at Snow and David's sleeping forms.

"I know," Emma said. "But he was right. I always will be an orphan."

Regina went to protest when the map sitting next to Emma started glowing, highlighting the path that they needed.

"See?" Emma asked, pointing at the map. "Even the map knows I'm right."

Regina sighed. "We'll continue this later. Right now, we have a son to find."


	137. Day 137: Who He Was

**Happy Birthday to me! That's right everyone, today is my birthday :) As you read this, I'm probably sitting around eating cake and finishing Season 5 on Netflix. Woot!**

Regina opened the door and froze as she saw who was on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?" Snow asked.

"About what?" Regina asked. "If there's a problem in town, I swear that I didn't do it."

"No, there's no problems," Snow said. "Do you remember what today is? Or is the anniversary of?"

Regina wracked her brain. "No," she admitted. She hadn't remembered anything.

"That doesn't surprise me," Snow said. "Today is the day that my father died."

"Oh," Regina said awkwardly. "Right."

"So can we talk?" Snow asked. "It has to do with him."

Regina sighed before stepping aside, letting Snow enter the house. "Don't make me regret this."

"You won't," Snow said. "Is there somewhere that we can talk that no one will hear?"

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want anyone to hear us talking? Henry's at school."

"Where's Emma?" Snow asked.

"Upstairs," Regina said. "Are we having a conversation that she's not allowed to hear?"

Snow shrugged. "As her mother, I would prefer if she didn't."

"What conversation are you planning on having?" Regina asked.

"I want to know the truth," Snow said. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Regina. I want to know the truth about my father and what he did to you."

"That's what you came here for?" Regina asked. "You're wasting your time. No one knows that story except for Emma. I certainly don't plan on telling it to you."

"Why not?" Snow asked. "He was my father."

"No," Regina said. "The man _you_ knew was your father. I knew a completely different man."

"Different how?" Snow pressed, sitting on the couch. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"Then you'll be sitting here for a long time," Regina said, walking out of the room. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know. If I wanted to share with you, I would have."

"But you've told Emma," Snow called after her.

Regina just rolled her eyes and kept walking.

* * *

"Mom," Emma said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Regina," Snow said. "But she's not talking to me. She just turned and left the room."

"What did you want to talk about?" Emma asked, sitting on the couch across from Snow.

"My father," Snow said. "The truth about him."

Emma winced. "That would be why. I'm the only one she's told that stuff to."

"Which is why she should tell me," Snow said. "If she can talk to you about it, why can't she talk to me?"

"It's different," Emma said. "Aren't there things about your past that you've told David but not me?"

"Maybe," Snow said. "But this is different."

"Mom, you can't push her," Emma said.

"My goodness, I didn't realize that it meant so much to you to know," Regina said, walking back into the room.

"Told you I wouldn't leave," Snow said, smirking.

"I knew you wouldn't," Regina said, sitting next to Emma. "But I had hoped."

"So?" Snow asked. "Are you going to tell me?"

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it encouragingly. Regina sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. But what I'm about to tell you will not be repeated outside of this house. Understand?"

Snow nodded. "So what was he like?"

"Cruel," Regina said. "He didn't care about me. I was just a young trophy for him to look at and have his way with."

"Have his way with?" Snow asked. "You don't mean-"

Regina winced, giving Snow her answer. Emma rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of Regina's hand. "You okay to keep talking?"

Regina nodded. "I'm fine."

"How could he do that to you?" Snow asked. "He was so kind to me."

"You were a reminder of his beloved wife," Regina said bitterly. "I was just the new toy. And it was partially my fault. I always put up a fight because of Daniel. If I had been more compliant-"

"Stop that," Emma warned.

"Sorry," Regina mumbled. Emma let go of her hand before pulling her close. Regina immediately relaxed in her embrace.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Snow asked. "I thought I saw a bruise on your wrist one time, but you quickly hid it when I asked what it was."

"You remember that?" Regina asked.

Snow nodded. "At the time I was angry because I didn't like that you were hiding something from me. Now I get it."

"Yes, he hit me," Regina said. "I hid the bruises from you so that you wouldn't find out what he was doing."

"Why?" Snow asked. "Why protect me?"

"Because you were a child that loved her father," Regina said. "I didn't want to ruin that."

Snow's eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe that you did that for me."

Regina slowly pulled out of Emma's embrace. "Even though there were times that I regretted saving you, I owed you for my queen title. If I had never married your father, my mother would never have been satisfied. And we both know how my mother is when she's not satisfied."

All three women shuddered at the mention of Cora. "You make a good point," Snow said.

"So there you have it," Regina said, standing up.

Snow reached out and grabbed her hand. "Thank you for telling me."

Regina smiled. "You're welcome. Family tells each other these things."

As she left the room, Snow looked at Emma with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Snow smiled as happy tears gathered in her eyes. "She called me family."


	138. Day 138: Brother Bonding

**I got a request from Erikalele07 for some Emma and Neal bonding time. So here it is!**

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" Snow asked. "I don't want to just leave him here if you're not fine with it."

"I told you that it was fine," Emma said, smiling as Neal sat on the floor in front of her playing with some of Henry's old toys. Bless Regina for keeping them.

"Okay," Snow said reluctantly. "Be safe. Have fun."

"Bye mommy!" Neal said excitedly. "I'm gonna play with Emma!"

Emma laughed before kissing the top of his head and lowering herself to the floor in front of him. "Yes you are. And we're going to have lots of fun."

"Uh huh," Neal agreed, making two toy dinosaurs fight.

"No no honey," Snow said, pulling the two dinosaurs apart. "There's no fighting, remember? We play nicely."

"But Emma let's me," Neal pouted.

"She does?" Snow asked, turning to Emma.

"He's a little boy," Emma said. "It's entirely normal."

Snow sighed. "Fine. Just nothing too violent."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yes ma'am. Now go! You have a very important date with your husband. Shoo."

Snow chuckled before leaving the mansion, giving Emma and Neal the night alone. Henry was spending the night out with a group of friends, and Regina was off stalking him and making sure that he wasn't doing anything illegal.

"So what're we going to do?" Emma asked. "We have the whole night to ourselves."

"Candy!" Neal said, smiling at Emma.

Emma laughed and ruffled his hair. "No can do kiddo. I was specifically forbidden to let you have anything sugary while you were here."

Neal sighed before lighting up. "Hide and Seek?"

Emma bit her lip. There were a lot of places in the mansion that Neal could get lost in. Then again, she could just poof herself to where he was. Maybe. "Okay," she agreed. "We can play Hide and Seek."

* * *

It had been 2 hours, and they were still playing Hide and Seek. Only, Emma had encountered a slight problem. In hiding from Neal, she had actually gotten herself stuck in Regina's apple tree.

"Emma!" Neal called, walking outside. "I tired of playing!"

"Me too kid," Emma mumbled. "Me too." She didn't want Neal to get upset, but she couldn't get down.

"Neal?" Regina asked, joining him outside. "Are you okay?"

"Gina!" Neal said excitedly, running to her.

Regina smiled before scooping him up. "What are you doing out here? Where's Emma?"

Neal shrugged. "She disappeared. We were playing Hide and Seek."

Regina looked around the backyard, stopping when she saw Emma sitting in her apple tree. She looked utterly helpless, but had too much pride to ask for help.

Chuckling, Regina sat Neal down. "Tell you what, you go back in and pick out a movie. I'll find her."

"With your magic?" Neal asked in awe.

Regina smiled and nodded. "With my magic."

"Will I get magic?" Neal asked. "Like you and Emma?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "Maybe. Now go inside and pick out your movie." Neal nodded before running inside.

Regina smirked before walking slowly to the base of her tree. "I seem to remember warning you before not to try climbing the tree."

"I never listen," Emma said. "You know that."

"I do," Regina agreed. "So I'm assuming that you would like to get down?"

"Very much so," Emma said.

"So you need…" Regina said, smirking.

"Regina," Emma whined.

"What do you need?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed and mumbled something about mean wives. "I need help."

"See?" Regina asked. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Emma glared at her. Regina just laughed before poofing Emma out of the tree. "You could just poof yourself down."

"I need more practice," Emma said. "With my luck, I would poof myself to a whole different country."

Regina laughed again before grabbing her hand. "Come on. Your brother picked out a movie for us to watch."


	139. Day 139: Flower

"What is that?" Emma asked, pointing to Regina's wrist. "Why is there a bandage on your wrist?"

"It's not what you think," Regina said quickly. "I didn't do anything that I shouldn't have. I promise."

"No?" Emma asked. "Then why is there a bandage on a very specific part of your body that there have been bandages before?"

"Do you trust me?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. "Then you have to wait about 10 more minutes before I can take this off."

"What?" Emma asked. "Why do you have to wait to take it off? What did you do?"

"Calm down," Regina said. "There is not a cut there. That's not why there is a bandage. You know that if it was a cut you would be the first person I would call."

Emma nodded. She was right. "So then what is it?"

Regina sighed. "If I take it off, will you stop pestering me?"

Emma smiled and nodded.

Regina slowly peeled the tape off of her arm, taking the bandage off completely. "This is what is under the bandage," she said, showing Emma her wrist.

Emma gasped. "You got a tattoo."

"Not just any tattoo," Regina said. "I believe that if you look down at your left wrist, the tattoo on my right one will match perfectly."

"You got the same tattoo as me?" Emma asked. "Of all things to get, why would you choose that?"

"Because there is a spell that can connect us through these," Regina said. "They have to be matching in order for it to work."

"What kind of spell?" Emma asked.

"A kind of tracking spell," Regina said. "So that no matter what happens, we'll always be able to find each other. At first it will be a little overwhelming, but I think that we'd be able to pull it off."

"So you'll always find me?" Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't ruin the thought with your parent's horribly cheesy line."

Emma laughed before holding out her wrist. "Take it away."

Regina smiled before touching her tattoo to Emma's. She took a deep breath before channeling her magic and love for Emma, concentrating it towards the matching tattoos pressed together.

Emma gasped as their tattoos glowed purple before it died away. "Did it work?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out," Regina said. "Stay here." She walked out of the room, and Emma waited for several seconds before sighing. She hadn't felt a pull. Maybe Regina hadn't done the spell right?

Just when she went to get up and find Regina, she felt a pull towards Regina's study. She walked to the door and opened it, smiling when she saw Regina standing in front of her desk. "It worked."

"It did," Regina agreed. "Did you feel the pull?"

Emma nodded. "It wasn't that bad though."

"That would be because I wasn't that far away," Regina said. "If I was halfway across town, you'd probably be going crazy."

"Do it," Emma said. "What better way to learn to control it than to just jump in?"

"You're crazy," Regina said.

Emma shrugged. "I know. Go ahead."

Regina rolled her eyes before poofing out of the house. Emma waited for several seconds before gasping. Her wrist felt like it was being pulled from the rest of her body. Where had Regina gone?

Emma ran downstairs and out of the mansion, holding her wrist out in front of her like a compass. If she held her arm to the left, the pulling got weaker. Did it get weaker the closer that you got? Deciding yes, she headed that way.

* * *

"Emma?" Snow called. "Why are you walking around town with your arm held out in front of you?"

"No reason," Emma said, brushing past her. "Just trying to tan my arm."

"Just one of your arms?" Snow asked, jogging to catch up to her.

"Yeah, this one is less tan than the other one," Emma said. "Just trying to balance things out."

Snow just stared at her. "You must really think I'm stupid. What's really going on?"

Emma sighed. "I'm trying to find Regina. I think that I'm getting pretty close actually. The pulling isn't as bad."

"Pulling?" Snow asked. "What pulling?"

"I'll explain it to you another time," Emma said, picking up her pace. Snow just sighed and shook her head before heading back to the diner.

* * *

Emma rounded the corner and smiled at seeing Regina. She sighed in relief as the pulling in her wrist stopped. "That was intense."

"I told you it would be," Regina said. "It took a lot of my self-control not to just poof myself back to you."

"Well at least we know one thing for certain," Emma said, looking down at her wrist.

"What's that?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled before pulling her close and kissing her. "I will always find you."


	140. Day 140: Chains

**So yesterday's chapter might become its own story instead of the Connected universe simply because the tattoo idea was entirely my own, but the Connected idea was from a friend. I don't know though. Enjoy this chapter!**

Regina walked around her bedroom, covering her mouth with her arm as she coughed. She glanced at the door after she had finished, hoping that Emma hadn't heard her. If Emma heard her coughing, she would never get to leave the house.

No one had ever taken care of Regina when she was sick as a child, so she wasn't expecting any care. But she also knew that Emma was an insanely protective person, and would keep Regina cooped up until she was better. Regina hated being cooped up.

Feeling another cough coming on, Regina quickly covered her mouth. Her whole body tensed up, and a loud cough sounded throughout the entire room.

"Did you just hack up a lung?" Emma asked, walking into the room. "That sounded painful."

"I'm fine," Regina said dismissively. "Just choked on my own spit."

Emma narrowed her eyes and studied Regina. "Nice try. Are you sick?"

"No," Regina said. "What I am is late for work, so I should probably get going." She slipped her shoes on before walking towards the door.

Emma reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her escape. "I'm not letting you go that easily. Let's take your temperature," she said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I have to get going. I have a meeting in 10 minutes."

"And taking your temperature will take about 10 seconds," Emma said. She pulled a reluctant Regina with her towards the bathroom, intent on taking her temperature.

"Emma this isn't necessary," Regina said. "I'm perfectly fine." She cleared her throat to keep herself from coughing; a trick that Emma saw right through.

"I don't even need the thermometer," Emma said, grabbing it. "But this will just prove my point that you're sick and need to stay home."

Regina dodged her hand that was holding the thermometer. "I don't need you sticking that thing in my mouth. I can tell you that I'm fine without needing the proof."

Emma rolled her eyes and stuck the thermometer in Regina's mouth anyway. Regina huffed but allowed it to take her temperature.

Emma took the thermometer and smirked triumphantly. "Told ya. You have a fever."

"I do not," Regina said, turning and leaving the bathroom. "That was pointless, and just made me even more late to work."

Emma sighed before poofing herself in front of Regina. Regina jumped at her sudden appearance before rolling her eyes. "Is this your attempt at blocking my path?" She went to poof her way downstairs, but found that she couldn't.

Emma looked pointedly at Regina's wrist. Regina gasped as she saw the magic cuff there. "You put the cuff on me?"

"Only because I knew that you would try and poof," Emma said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the bed.

"Take it off," Regina demanded. She didn't like this cuff. Not at all. Her magic was her power and her protection, and the cuff took it away.

"No," Emma said. She pointed to the bed. "Now sit. You're staying home today, and that's final."

"And what if I decide to just walk out?" Regina asked, sitting down. "Even though you took away my magic, I can still just walk out the front door. Or pick a lock if you try to lock me in."

Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "I thought ahead."

Regina's eyes widened. "Wait."

"I'm just going to the store," Emma said. She put one of the handcuffs around Regina's wrist that didn't have the magic cuff on it, and the other on the headboard of the bed. "Don't go anywhere."

As Emma left the room, Regina pulled on the handcuff to see how tight it was. She winced as she realized that it was tight enough to cut her if she tried to get away.

As Regina looked at the handcuff around her wrist, she was reminded of a time where it had happened before. Not with the same material of course, Leopold had always used ropes. Either way, it had still trapped her and had caused cuts and bruises on her wrists.

Feeling the panic in her begin to rise, Regina started tugging harder at the handcuffs. All she had to do was get them off. But if she got them off, would Emma be mad at her?

Tears started to gather in Regina's eyes as she realized that she was trapped again between her own fear and her need to please. Eventually her fear won, and she settled into a steady rhythm of pulling, trying in vain to get the handcuff off.

* * *

Emma set her grocery bags on the island, starting to unpack them. For once she had actually gotten only the items that Regina had written down on the list.

As she was putting some pasta noodles into the cupboard, Emma heard sobbing. Freezing, she listened closely. Her eyes widened as she realized that the crying was coming from upstairs. Where Regina was.

Throwing the noodles onto the counter, Emma ran up the stairs as fast as she could. She threw open the door and quickly crossed the room to where Regina sat on the bed.

"Oh my god," Emma whispered. She stared in disbelief at Regina's wrist in the handcuff, which was now slick with her blood. Thanks to her insistent pulling, Regina had managed to tear apart her wrist.

"Please take it off," Regina whimpered. "I promise that I'll be good."

Emma froze at her words as a chill ran down her spin. She looked at Regina and realized that Regina's eyes looked glazed over, as if she didn't realize that she was sitting in her bedroom.

"Okay," Emma said soothingly. "I'll take it off." She gently took Regina's wrist, pulling the key out of her pocket and quickly unlocking the handcuff and taking it off.

Regina winced and hissed in pain as Emma removed the handcuff. "Sorry," Emma said quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Regina blinked a few times, and Emma saw as her mind came back to the present. She looked down at her wrist in shock. "What did I do?"

"It looks like you've hurt yourself with the handcuff," Emma said. "Can I heal it?"

Regina hesitated before nodding. Emma smiled gently before using her magic to heal Regina's wrist. "Thank you," Regina whispered.

"You're welcome," Emma said. "I'm sorry for chaining you up to begin with. I didn't know that it would affect you like this."

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "You couldn't have known."

Emma rubbed her thumb over Regina's wrist. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," Regina said. "I don't. But I feel like I owe you an explanation."

"You don't owe me anything," Emma said. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I won't make you. But I'm here to listen if you want to talk."

"Leopold used to chain me up," Regina whispered. "I haven't gotten over it I guess. I still don't like being chained up, even with the best intentions in mind."

Emma winced. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know," Regina said. "Although I would greatly appreciate if you could remove this cuff." She held up her wrist with the magic cuff still on it.

"Right," Emma said, quickly pulling the magic cuff off.

Regina sighed in relief as she felt the magic return to her. "Thank you."

Emma slightly smiled before setting the cuff on the nightstand. She stood up and went to leave the room, but Regina grabbed her hand.

"You didn't know," Regina said. "So stop beating yourself up. I can practically see you doing it."

"I'm that easy to read?" Emma asked.

"Only to me," Regina said. She squeezed Emma's hand gently, before quickly covering her mouth as she started coughing again.

"And we're back to our previous problem," Emma said. "You're still sick and need to stay home."

"I will if you join me," Regina said, patting the bed next to her.

Emma smiled before plopping down next to her. "I think that can be arranged."


	141. Day 141: Death Do Us Part

**So I haven't done angst in awhile...please don't kill me.**

When Emma had married Regina, there were certain parts of their wedding vows that she had never expected to fulfill. At least not so soon.

"Hang in there," Emma mumbled, holding Regina's face in her hands. "Don't you dare go anywhere."

"I'm not going to promise anything," Regina mumbled.

"Don't say that," Emma said. "You're going to be fine. I promise." She tucked a stray piece of Regina's hair behind her ear, rubbing the pad of her thumb over Regina's cheek.

"Guess I shouldn't drink anything given to me by Zelena huh?" Regina asked, chuckling.

"It was meant for me," Emma said, tears starting to gather in her eyes. "Why would you drink it?"

"I had a bad feeling," Regina said through clenched teeth as she squirmed painfully. "Guess that bad feeling was warranted."

"There has to be an antidote," Emma said desperately. "Every poison has an antidote, right?"

"Not this one," Regina said. "That's probably why she chose it. I do have to give her credit for being clever."

"Why would she want to kill me?" Emma asked.

"She didn't," Regina said. "She wanted to kill me. She knew that I would get a bad feeling about anything from her and would try it before you could. This is exactly what she meant to happen."

"I can't lose you," Emma said. "I don't know what I'll do without you."

"You're going to take care of our son," Regina said. "That's all that you need to do. I'm sure that your parents will help."

"No, you're going to help," Emma said. "Because you're going to live and you're going to be fine. I know you are."

Regina shook her head sadly. "Not even True Love's Kiss can reverse this poison." She moaned as pain wracked through her body, the poison slowly making its way through her system.

"Is there anything that I can do to ease your pain?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said. "Unfortunately it's meant to be slow and painful. Trust me, I've used it before on prisoners back in the Enchanted Forest."

"So I just sit here and watch you die?" Emma asked. "That's cruel."

"It's supposed to be," Regina said. "She wanted me to suffer a long and painful death."

"Yeah well," Emma said. "She probably won't be alive too much longer. She's going to pay for what she did to you."

"Don't do that," Regina said. "Killing her won't make you feel any better, I can promise you that much." She bit her lip to keep from crying out as pain wracked through her body.

"Do you remember our wedding vows?" Emma asked. "We were going to write our own, but I couldn't think of what to say so you caved and let us do the traditional ones."

Regina chuckled. "I remember."

Emma smiled at her. "I, Emma, take you, Regina, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

Regina smiled back. "To have and to hold, from this day forward."

Emma leaned down and pressed her lips to Regina's forehead. "For better or for worse."

Regina closed her eyes at the touch of Emma's lips. "For richer or for poorer."

Emma sat back up and pulled Regina to her in a tight embrace. "In sickness and in health."

Regina relaxed in Emma's embrace. "Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part," Emma repeated, squeezing Regina gently. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said, closing her eyes. "So much."

Emma held Regina tightly as her heart slowed and eventually stopped. Even after her heart had stopped beating, Emma still held her close. She couldn't find the will to let her go.

Eventually, Emma stood up. She cradled Regina in her arms, carrying her upstairs and laying her gently onto their bed.

"Don't you worry," Emma whispered, stroking Regina's cheek lightly as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I will make her pay for what she did."

 **I don't know, I think I'll always dislike Zelena. I love Bex as an actress though. She's so good!**


	142. Day 142: Pick-Up Lines

**So I owe you guys a happy chapter to make up for yesterday. But let's face it: the best way for Regina to die would be in Emma's arms.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is different from everything else. It's a series of texts between Regina and Emma. Emma is underlined, and Regina is italic. Enjoy!**

Regina!

 _Emma? What's wrong?_

Nothing. Just wanted to say hi :)

 _Don't scare me like that! I thought that you had gotten into some kind of trouble again._

I don't always get into trouble…

 _Uh huh. Sure you don't._

Anyway, there's something that I wanted to ask you.

 _Okay…_

Are you a magician?

 _What?_

Because whenever I look at you, everything else disappears.

…

I know. You're blown away by my awesome pick-up line.

 _We're already married. I don't think you really need to worry about using those on me._

Party pooper.

* * *

Regina guess what!

 _You actually tried cooking your own lunch instead of buying that junk food from Granny's?_

Funny. Real funny.

 _I thought so too. So what's up?_

You must be hell of a thief, because you stole my heart from across the room.

 _You do realize that I used to literally steal hearts from people, correct?_

Well. That one backfired.

* * *

So I need a favor

 _Is your magic out of control again? I thought that we had fixed that problem_

No, my magic is fine. It's something else…

 _You know that I'd do anything for you. What's up?_

Will you touch my arm so I can tell my friends that I've been touched by an angel?

 _...What friends?_

Regina Swan-Mills!

 _Love you! :D_

* * *

Hey I wrote you a poem

 _Oh dear. This should be good._

Roses are red, violets are blue, I didn't know what perfect was until I met you!

 _That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be._

Are you actually praising one of my pick-up lines?

 _Of course not. That one just wasn't as bad as the previous ones that I've gotten._

I'll take it!

* * *

Hey Regina, guess what? You're on my list of things to do tonight ;)

 _You know, you sent that to me at a great moment._

Why's that? Dreaming about me while at work?

 _Nope. Henry was holding my phone._

...Well I'm going to go die in a hole now

* * *

 _Emma, I have a question for you._

What's up?

 _Are you as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside?_

Did you just use a pick-up line?!

 _Yes. Yes I did._

I'm so proud!

 **Just so you know, I didn't think of any of those pick-up lines. There's literally a website for it and I chose the ones that I liked the best. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and got a few laughs from it! Sorry it was so short!  
**


	143. Day 143: Wicked

**Have any of you ever seen Wicked on Broadway? I saw it a couple years ago and I LOVED it. It's so good. So I thought that this chapter would be fun :) Enjoy!**

"What are these?" Regina asked, holding up the tickets that Emma had bought.

"Those are called tickets," Emma said, smirking.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I know what they are. What I don't get is what they're for. What's 'Wicked'?"

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. The less that Regina knew, the funnier that this was going to be. For her anyway. "It's a musical."

"You're taking me to a musical?" Regina asked. "And let me guess, it's out of town?"

"Yes and yes," Emma said, smiling. "Musicals are awesome! And there's more to this one than you might think."

"Is that so?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "There's even magic involved."

"Magic? In a musical?" Regina asked. "How on earth do they pull that off? Magic isn't real outside of this town."

"Not real magic," Emma said. "Stage magic. It looks real, but the audience knows that it isn't."

Regina pursed her lips before nodding. "Okay. Although I'm not sure how I feel about the show title. All it does is remind me of Zelena."

Emma pinched her arm to keep from laughing. This was definitely going to remind her of Zelena.

* * *

It wasn't until Regina and Emma were in their seats that Regina started to put together what the musical was really about. If she hadn't gotten a program and seen the logo, Emma would have bet money on them making it through the first song before Regina would protest and try to leave. No such luck.

"This show is about Zelena?" Regina hissed. "Why would you bring me here?"

"Calm down," Emma said, grabbing her hand. "People are starting to stare."

"Let them stare," Regina said, picking up her purse. "We need to go. I am not sitting through a show about my sister."

"Hold your horses," Emma said, squeezing Regina's hand to get her attention. "This show isn't about Zelena. It's about the Wicked Witch, yes. But not Zelena."

"What? That makes no sense," Regina said. "Zelena _is_ the Wicked Witch."

Emma shook her head. "Not in this story. In this story, her name is Elphaba. And she has a very different story than Zelena does."

"How so?" Regina asked.

Emma just smiled before leaning back in her seat. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Regina huffed before setting down her purse and leaning back in her seat as well. "We'll talk during intermission about this," she said as the lights went down.

Emma shrugged and smiled as the pit orchestra started playing. Regina was going to love this show. She just knew it.

* * *

As the curtain closed and the lights went up for intermission, Emma looked over at Regina. Regina looked exactly how Emma had predicted. She was enjoying the show, but was too stubborn to admit to Emma that she had been wrong.

"So?" Emma asked, nudging her gently. "Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"

"No," Regina mumbled. "You win. I'm actually enjoying it. It's actually a much better story than what Zelena has."

"Really?" Emma asked in surprise. "How so?"

"Well for starters, Elphaba is actually a nice person," Regina said, chuckling. "I actually wouldn't mind having her for a sister!"

Emma laughed. "That's true. She's nice, but largely misunderstood. Like somebody else I know."

"If you're talking about me, you're largely mistaken," Regina said. "I'm as far from nice as you can get."

"Not to me," Emma argued.

"You're an exception," Regina said. "As is Henry."

"You're still misunderstood," Emma said. "I bet if people saw you sitting here with me, they'd gain a lot more confidence in how much you've changed."

"How is going to a musical going to change their minds about me?" Regina asked.

"Because you're here with me, the Savior, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming," Emma said dramatically. "And you're not trying to kill me."

Regina laughed. "I'm not trying to kill you because I love you."

"Now isn't that sweet," Emma teased, kissing her on the cheek.

"You're a dork, you know that?" Regina asked.

"I do," Emma said. "But I'm your dork."

"God help me," Regina said. "Now shush. The second act is starting."

Emma smiled before getting comfortable. "Knew you were gonna like it."


	144. Day 144: Love is Sacrifice

**Another one from Season 5! Enjoy :) Oh, and leave prompts. I'm running out of ideas.**

Emma stood still, staring down at the ember. Was her inner darkness right? Was the reason that she was staring at the ember instead of lighting it because she couldn't let go of her darkness?

"Need a light?" Regina asked, walking up next to her.

Emma jumped at Regina's sudden appearance. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that whatever you're trying isn't working," Regina said. "If you were able to succeed, you would have already."

"You don't think that I can do this?" Emma asked, her gaze hardening.

Regina shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I meant that the darkness is winning. Which it is, isn't it?"

"It's not," Emma argued, turning her gaze back to the ember.

Regina sighed before stepping closer to Emma. "Feels good, doesn't it? To have power that no one can match. To be able to do whatever you want."

"Yes," Emma said quietly. "It does."

"Why'd you do it?" Regina asked. "I've been thinking about it for days, but I still don't understand."

"Do what?" Emma asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't play that game with me," Regina said. "You can lie to anyone else, but not me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"You were close to your happy ending," Emma said, shrugging. "I didn't want it ripped away from you so shortly after you had gotten it and life was good for you again."

Silence stretched between the two women before Regina sighed. "You want to tell me the real reason now?"

"That was the real reason," Emma said, her expression guarded. Too guarded for Regina's liking.

"Please don't make me do something that I'm going to regret," Regina said. "Just tell me the truth."

"Is the Evil Queen threatening the Dark One?" Emma asked. "That's a new one."

Regina winced at the use of her formal title. "It wasn't a threat. And I threatened Gold a thousand times when he was the Dark One."

"Then what was it?" Emma asked.

"A plea for the truth," Regina said. "I just want the truth. Why did you sacrifice yourself to the darkness for me?"

"I already told you," Emma said. "You had your happy ending at last, and I wanted you to keep it."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma. She still wasn't telling the truth. Sighing, Regina reached forward and picked up the dagger.

Seeing the dagger in Regina's hand, Emma froze. "What are you doing?"

"Getting my answer," Regina said. "We both know that you're holding back, and the best way to battle the darkness is to not give in by letting others help you. So I'm killing two birds with one stone. I get my answer, and you get some darkness help."

"I don't need your help," Emma said. "Now put down my dagger."

"So it's not 'the' dagger anymore?" Regina asked. "Now you're claiming it?"

Emma went to say something but snapped her mouth shut. When _had_ she started claiming the dagger?

"The truth," Regina said, holding the dagger up in front of her. "Dark One, I command you to tell me why you sacrificed yourself to the darkness to save me."

Emma winced, struggling to keep her mouth shut and not let the truth come out. Curse Regina for using the dagger on her.

"You're resisting the dagger," Regina said in surprise. "That's a new one."

Emma gritted her teeth, her face turning red as she held her breath. If she even let herself breathe out, she would most likely speak.

"Don't you dare make yourself pass out," Regina said, reaching out to grab Emma's arm. "Let out your breath. I'll even set down the dagger so that you don't have to answer my question; just stop hurting yourself."

Emma let out the breath she was holding, gasping in air. "Love is sacrifice," she gasped out.

"What?" Regina asked.

"Love is sacrifice," Emma repeated. She winced at how the words were coming out of her without her consent. "That's why I sacrificed myself to the darkness."

"You love me?" Regina asked.

"Would you put down the dagger please?" Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Sorry," Regina said, quickly setting down the dagger. Emma quickly grabbed it, Excalibur, and the ember before walking quickly off into the forest.

Regina was about to follow her before deciding against it. Better to leave Emma to her thoughts at the moment. She would corner her later.

* * *

Emma sat outside of the diner, weaving together another dream catcher. Rumple had made straw into gold, now Emma made string into beautiful dream catchers.

"Still no luck with the ember?" Regina asked, sitting next to her.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Emma asked. "It's getting really late."

"Shouldn't you?" Regina countered. "You're the one that this quest is all about. As the most important person, you should get some rest."

"I don't sleep anymore," Emma mumbled. "The dream catchers are what occupies my time."

"I see," Regina said.

They sat together for several minutes in silence before Emma sighed and set down the dream catcher. "I'm assuming that you would like to talk about what happened earlier?"

Regina nodded. "But you don't have to if you don't want to. I shouldn't have used the dagger on you. That was wrong of me."

"And yet necessary," Emma said. "My answer was honest though. Love is sacrifice, and that's why I sacrificed myself for you."

"To which I asked if you loved me, and you ran off into the woods," Regina said. "Do I get an answer to that question?"

Emma looked down at her hands. "I feel like I'm slowly losing what love even feels like. I don't know if I love you. Or if I'm capable of loving anymore. But what I do know is in that moment; I couldn't let the darkness consume you. I just couldn't."

"That's a start," Regina said, smiling. "Just because you can't feel love now, doesn't mean that you won't be able to forever. You won't be the Dark One that long."

"How do you know?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled before taking her hand. "Because I won't let that happen."

"What about Robin? Or Hook?" Emma asked. "We're both dating someone."

Regina sighed as the smile melted from her face. "I don't know what's going to happen with them. I know that Robin loves me, and I love him, but something isn't complete. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous."

"No, it doesn't," Emma said quietly. She squeezed Regina's hand gently. "That's how I feel with Hook."

"So what do we do?" Regina asked.

"I don't know about you, but I think that getting rid of the darkness is a pretty good first step," Emma said.

Regina chuckled. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

 **Just so no one gets mad, I actually don't mind OQ or CS. I loved Robin and how happy that he made Regina. And I love Hook and how happy he makes Emma. I just ship SQ more than those other two.**

 **Also as a side note: I updated my bio if anyone wants to learn more about me. I realized that the old one kind of sucked :D**


	145. Day 145: Heart Beating Part 1

_Emma didn't know where she was. "Hello?" she called out. The place that she was in just looked like a big empty white space. What was she doing here? How did she get here?_

" _Emma?" a voice called._

 _Emma turned to the voice hopefully. She would know that voice anywhere. "Regina?"_

 _Regina appeared out of nowhere, walking towards Emma. "Where are we? What are we doing here?"_

" _I don't know," Emma said. "I'll find a way to get us out though." She held out her hand for Regina to take, knowing that the touch would sooth them both._

 _Regina reached out her hand to grab Emma's, but was stopped by an invisible wall. "What is this?" she asked, pushing against the barrier._

 _Emma quickly walked towards her, but found that she couldn't get through the barrier either. "I can't get to you!"_

" _Choose," a voice said from behind Emma._

 _Emma spun around to face the voice, but saw no one. Instead, she saw three different tables set up, each with a heart on it. All three hearts were alive and beating._

" _Choose what?" Emma asked._

" _Which one to destroy," the voice said. "Pick up a heart and crush it."_

" _Whose hearts are these?" Emma asked._

" _One is your love's," the voice said. "The other two are not important."_

" _But they belong to people?" Emma asked, looking down in dread at the beating hearts. What was she going to do?_

" _Yes," the voice said. "They belong to people. But you must choose which one to destroy."_

" _How do I know which one is Regina's?" Emma asked. They all looked the exact same!_

" _You don't," the voice said. "You have thirty seconds. Choose."_

" _I can't just choose who gets to live or die!" Emma exclaimed. "That's not my job."_

" _Emma?" Regina called. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"_

" _Choose," the voice commanded. "Or I will choose for you."_

" _No wait," Emma said frantically, scanning the hearts in front of her. Shouldn't Regina's heart have some darkness with it? She was the Evil Queen for quite a long time._

" _Choose!" the voice boomed, causing Emma to shake in fear._

 _Emma mentally screamed before grabbing the heart in the middle and crushing it. She thought that everything was fine. And then she heard the sickening thud behind her._

* * *

"Regina!" Emma screamed, bolting upright in bed. She looked around at her surroundings, realizing quickly that she wasn't staying with her girlfriend tonight, but her parents.

"Emma?" Snow called up groggily. "Is everything okay?"

Emma went to answer, but found that she couldn't. Where was Regina? Was she okay? Had Emma really killed her? Maybe her dream hadn't been a dream at all, but a memory that she had tried hard to forget.

"David, she's not answering," Snow said. Worry laced her voice, but Emma found that she didn't care. She needed to see Regina.

Throwing off the covers, Emma quickly got out of bed and practically ran down from the loft. "Where are you going?" Snow asked, grabbing Emma's arm. "It's two in the morning."

"I need to see Regina," Emma said, panting harshly. She still hadn't managed to catch her breath from the nightmare.

"Why?" Snow asked. "She's probably sleeping, like you should be. Let's just go back to bed-"

"No," Emma interrupted, pulling away from her. "I have to see her right now and make sure that nothing bad happened to her. Right now."

"Okay," Snow said soothingly. "Why don't you go upstairs, and I'll call her to come over. Would that be fine?"

Emma knew that she was being talked to like a little kid, but she didn't care. She nodded and went back up to the loft, sitting on the edge of her bed. She needed to be ready for when Regina showed up.

She heard the sound of Snow's voice downstairs, and caught a couple words like "nightmare" and "emergency". A couple seconds later, Regina appeared in Emma's room, pajamas and all.

Emma stood up quickly and ran to her, nearly pushing her over with the force of her hug. "You're alive. You're fine. Thank goodness, you're okay."

Regina quickly got over her shock and wrapped her arms around Emma, rubbing her hand soothingly up and down Emma's back. "That's right. I'm fine, and I'm here."

Emma relaxed in Regina's embrace, listening just to the sound of her heart beating. If her heart was beating, that had to mean she was alive.

Heart. Emma had crushed Regina's heart and had killed her. "No," Emma mumbled. "It was just a dream. It was just a dream."

Regina guided Emma gently over to her bed, sitting them both down slowly. "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked.

Emma just nodded. Regina kissed the top of her head and continued her soothing movements until Emma began to relax. Feeling her relax, Regina went to pull away.

"No, no, no, no," Emma whimpered, clinging tighter to her. "Don't let go. I need to hear your heart beating. Because if it's in your chest, that means that it's safe."

"This is about my heart?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "I was in this big room, and you were blocked off from me. And I had to choose a heart to crush, and I was panicking, and I accidentally chose yours and you died. I killed you. I can't believe that I killed you."

Regina shushed her, rocking them back and forth. "You didn't kill me. I'm right here, and I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

"I killed you," Emma whispered.

"No you didn't," Regina said. "I'm right here, holding you. My heart is in my chest and beating, and everything is fine. Go back to sleep."

Emma forced her breathing to even out, giving the impression that she had fallen asleep. Once Regina was satisfied, she laid Emma gently onto her bed. She kissed Emma's forehead before leaving the loft and heading downstairs.

Once she had left, Emma opened her eyes. There was no way that she was going to sleep again. Not when she had just killed Regina.

 **See you tomorrow! Mwahahaha :D**


	146. Day 146: Heart Beating Part 2

It had been two days since the heart nightmare, and Emma still hadn't slept. Nobody seemed to notice, even though dark circles were starting to gather under her eyes.

She had started to drink more and more coffee, running solely on the caffeine that it provided. Since she was still living with her parents, she could get away with not sleeping. They didn't care about her sleeping patterns.

Regina walked into the station, pausing outside of the door to watch Emma. She had a feeling that something was up, and had even gotten a call from David that Emma wasn't being her usual self. This morning she had even noticed the beginnings of dark circles under Emma's eyes.

Emma sighed before rubbing her hand over her eyes. She couldn't deny it, she was extremely tired. But what if she killed Regina again? That nightmare had been the scariest thing that she had ever experienced. And that was saying something.

"Hey," Regina said softly, walking up to Emma's desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw David leave the room. Probably to give them privacy.

"Hi," Emma said. "What's up?"

Regina shrugged. "Nothing. Am I not allowed to just come and say hi to my girlfriend?"

Emma smiled. "Sorry. Just used to people always needing something whenever they come in here. It's nice to see you."

"I wish I could say the same," Regina said.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

Regina reached forward and traced the barely visible dark circles under Emma's eyes. "Did you really think that I wouldn't notice these?"

Emma blushed. "I had hoped that you wouldn't."

"When was the last time that you slept?" Regina asked gently, pulling her hand away.

"Last night," Emma said.

"Emma," Regina said, a warning tone in her voice.

Emma sighed. "The night of the nightmare."

"After I left you upstairs?" Regina asked. "That was a couple days ago!"

"Actually before you got there," Emma said, looking down at her hands. "I faked falling back asleep."

"You fake fell asleep on me?" Regina asked.

"I didn't want to go to sleep again," Emma said. "You don't understand. That was the scariest thing I have ever dreamed about. Ever."

"Okay," Regina said. "I get it. But preventing yourself from sleeping is not the way to go."

"But how else do I avoid them?" Emma asked.

"Since when do you avoid your problems?" Regina asked.

Emma opened her mouth to name a time, but found that she couldn't. No matter what the problem was, she had always faced it. "I can't face that nightmare again," she said softly. "I'm not strong enough."

"I think I might have a solution to your problem," Regina said.

"You do?" Emma asked hopefully.

"I do," Regina said. "But we can't do it here. It's not something that the town would probably take lightly." She waved her hand, poofing herself and Emma to the mansion.

* * *

"So what's this plan of yours?" Emma asked, sitting on Regina's bed. She quickly covered her mouth, hiding her yawn from Regina. Or trying to anyway.

Regina chuckled at the sight of Emma yawning. "In order to do this, you have to completely trust me. Deal?"

"Deal," Emma said. "So what's the plan?"

Regina took a deep breath before reaching into her chest and pulled out her heart. Emma froze at the sight of Regina's heart; panic surging quickly through her.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, eyes wide.

Regina walked over and sat in front of Emma, gently holding her heart in her hand. She knew that Emma was panicking, but if Emma didn't face her fear, the nightmares would never go away.

"I want you to take it," Regina said, holding out her hand towards Emma.

Emma shook her head and backed up until her back hit the headboard. "No way. You don't want to trust me with your heart."

"Why not?" Regina asked. "I have no reason to mistrust you."

Emma shook her head again. "I crushed your heart-"

"In your dream," Regina interrupted. "My heart is still here, and I'm still alive. That dream wasn't real. It was a dream."

"But it could be real," Emma argued. "I could get too overwhelmed and squeeze it by accident and kill you."

"You won't," Regina said. "Now take it."

Emma looked at her for several seconds before reaching forward with shaking fingers and taking her heart. "You're crazy."

"I know," Regina said, watching Emma carefully.

Emma looked down at the beating heart in her hand, and slowly relaxed at the minutes stretched on. She didn't feel any impulses to crush it. No voice was forcing her to crush it. Everything was fine.

"See?" Regina asked, smiling at Emma. "It was just a dream. I'm fine, my heart is fine, and you're not crushing anything."

Emma sighed in relief before handing Regina her heart back. "It was just a dream."

Regina took her heart back and put it in her chest. "Glad that we agree. So now you can get some rest."

Emma tensed. "But-"

"I don't want to hear it," Regina said, leaning forward to kiss her. "You're going to go to sleep, and I'm going to sit right here just to make sure that you actually sleep this time."

Emma smiled sheepishly before laying down. She yawned and closed her eyes, finally embracing the sleep that she so desperately needed. And with Regina by her side, no nightmares plagued her sleep.

 **I HIT OVER 100,000 VIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND I LOVE YOU!**


	147. Day 147: First Break

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Broken bone. Someone breaks their arm and gets taken care of."**

Ava sat in a chair in the living room, completely lost to the world. She had just started reading this amazing book called "Red Queen", and couldn't put it down. Which was probably a problem, considering she was supposed to be watching her sister.

She loved Lola, she really did, but sometimes Ava just wanted some peace and quiet to be alone to just read. Even though she wasn't blood related to her mothers, she was still like Regina in that regard.

Lola came running into the room at that moment, stopping in front of Ava and poking her leg insistently. "Ava."

Ava pretended that she couldn't hear her. Then again, you never really could ignore Lola Maria Swan-Mills.

"Ava," Lola said, a little louder. "Ava, Ava, Ava, Ava!"

Ava rolled her eyes before closing her book and looking down at Lola impatiently. "What Lola?"

"Mommy said that you have to play with me," Lola said, pouting. "You're just reading your book."

"Why don't you read too?" Ava suggested. "Then we can both have some quiet time."

"But that's boring," Lola whined. "I wanna play."

"Play what?" Ava asked, putting her bookmark in her book. There was no way that Lola would leave her alone without throwing a temper tantrum. And Lola throwing a temper tantrum was something to be avoided at all costs.

Lola smiled before running over and jumping onto the couch. "Let's pretend that the floor is all lava! And we have to get to safety without getting burnt."

Ava sighed. She should have known. This was the only game that Lola ever liked to play these days.

"Okay," Ava sighed, putting her book off to the side in a safe place. "Get ready."

Lola giggled before jumping from the couch to the chair next to it. Ava smiled before jumping from her chair to the couch. She was way too old to be jumping on the furniture, but it was fun and was making Lola smile.

To Ava, what happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. Lola jumped from the chair she was in to the couch across the room. She ended up not making it far enough, and fell to the floor, putting her arms out in front of her to catch herself.

"Lola!" Ava exclaimed. She ran over to where Lola was, scooping her up.

Lola looked at Ava as tears gathered in her eyes. "My arm really hurts."

* * *

Ava had ended up calling Emma instead of Regina. She knew that Regina would probably freak out, and that Emma would probably be calm and handle things.

"What have I told you about jumping on the furniture?" Emma scolded as she drove Lola and Ava to the hospital. "I knew that someone was going to get hurt."

"Sorry," Ava mumbled.

Emma sighed. "It's fine. Just no more okay? Especially after this. Just be thankful that you called me, or there would be a lot more freaking out."

Ava chuckled. "Oh I know. That would be why I called you."

Emma smiled before parking her car. "Yeah, we're gonna wait to tell her about this. Deal?"

"I would say deal, but you might want to look over there first," Ava said, pointing out the window of the car.

Emma looked over and cursed. Regina was leaning up against her car, arms crossed. To anyone else, it would look like she was pissed. But Emma knew that this was her defensive position, which meant that she was probably internally freaking out.

"How're you feeling Lo?" Emma asked, turning around to look at Lola.

"It doesn't hurt unless I move it," Lola said, looking down at her arm.

"Okay," Emma said. She turned her gaze to Ava. "Don't go anywhere, and holler if she starts getting pain again when not moving it. I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Ava asked.

Emma looked pointedly in Regina's direction. "Oh," Ava said.

"Oh is right," Emma said, getting out of the car. "Stay here." She shut the car door before walking over to Regina.

"So when were you going to tell me that our daughter got hurt and was being taken to the hospital?" Regina asked.

"When she had been examined," Emma said. "That way if there wasn't anything to freak out about, I could deal with you freaking out later."

"I am not freaking out," Regina said. "I'm perfectly calm."

"On the outside," Emma said, looking at her knowingly.

Regina smiled slightly. "How you know me so well I will never understand. But yes, on the inside I am freaking out. How many times have we told them not to jump on the furniture?"

"Too many," Emma said, chuckling. "But Lola is half me and half you, and we both know how hard it is to resist her when she wants something."

"True," Regina agreed. "So is her arm broken?"

"We're about to find out," Emma said. "But you have to promise that you won't freak out if Lola cries when they touch her arm. Broken bones hurt."

Regina winced. "I know what a broken bone feels like. I won't freak out. That much."

Emma just rolled her eyes and laughed. "How'd you find out there we're here anyway?"

Regina smirked. "David sold you out."

* * *

Lola had indeed broken her arm, but was pretty excited to be now wearing her bright pink cast. Regina on the other hand, had no idea what a cast even was.

"And you're sure that thing is going to actually help her?" Regina asked.

Emma laughed. "Yes. Didn't they have things like that in the Enchanted Forest?"

Regina shuddered. "Not at all. Healing broken bones was not as easy as it is here. And definitely much more painful."

"Well Lola seems pretty happy," Emma said. "Don't be surprised if she asks you to sign it."

"Sign what?" Regina asked.

"That cast," Emma said. "You take a Sharpie marker and sign it. Some kids have no room left on theirs because so many kids want to sign it."

"Really?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "Didn't Henry ever have a broken bone?"

Regina blushed. "I was a little overprotective. He wasn't allowed to do anything that might result in him being hurt. I didn't have any idea what I was going with him and-"

"Ma! Mom!" Ava shouted from up ahead. "Lola tripped on the curb and fell!"

Regina and Emma shared a glance. "That clumsiness is all you," Regina said.

Emma rolled her eyes before jogging with Regina to where Ava and Lola were. If Lola had broken another bone, Regina was going to have a heart attack.

"I'm good!" Lola said, standing up and brushing herself off.

Regina chuckled before scooping her up. "You, my dear, are going to be the death of me."

Emma walked forward and tickled Lola's stomach, causing her to erupt into a fit of giggles. "But what a way to go."

 **So the reviews suddenly aren't appearing again. This site frustrates me sometimes. Anyway, keep reviewing and I'll just get them through email.**


	148. Day 148: Joking Around

**This chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Practical Jokes" Again, if you left me a prompt and I don't use it, it's either something close to what I've already done, or it breaks character.**

An all out practical joke war had started. Emma couldn't remember who had started it, but she and Regina had been going after each other all week. No one else was allowed to get involved, especially Henry.

Emma looked over at the clock in the station and smiled. Right about now, Regina would be getting a box from Emma apologizing for her latest joke (duct taping an air horn to the bottom of Regina's chair) and asking for a truce. Inside would be her favorite fruit. Only it wouldn't really be apples. They were onions, completely dipped in caramel and put on a stick.

"What are you smiling about?" David asked from his desk. "And why do you keep glancing at the clock?"

"I may have played a small prank on Regina," Emma said.

"Oh?" David asked. "What did you do this time?"

"The apples that she's about to eat aren't really going to be apples," Emma said, smirking.

"So what are they?" David asked.

Emma laughed. "Onions."

David started laughing. "She's going to kill you."

"But that defeats the whole purpose of the war," Emma said. "If she kills me, then she can't get me back."

"True," David agreed. He smiled as Emma's phone rang, probably a call from a very pissed off Regina.

"Hello?" Emma answered.

"I am going to kill you," Regina said. "Caramel covered onions? Really?"

Emma laughed. "I saw it online. Didn't taste too good?"

"You laugh now, but I am going to get you back," Regina said. "And it isn't going to be pretty."

* * *

Emma walked into work the next morning, looking carefully at her desk. So far nothing looked out of the ordinary. Had Regina given up?

"Why are you walking so hesitantly into the office?" David asked.

"I'm waiting for something to jump out at me," Emma said. "It's Regina's turn to pull a joke of some kind." She walked over to her desk, slowly sitting down. No air horn on her chair. Then again, Regina wasn't one to repeat pranks.

"Hey, do you have scissors that I can borrow?" David asked, walking over to her desk.

"Yeah," Emma said. She reached over to her side drawer, slowly pulling it open. She gasped at seeing what was inside.

"She put fish in your drawer?" David asked, laughing. "She is not playing around."

It was true. Regina had cleaned out the drawer of all supplies, lined it with plastic wrap, poured rocks and water in, and added some fish. Emma had her own little fish tank right in her desk.

"Is there at least fish food provided?" David asked, chuckling.

"Shut up," Emma grumbled. "I can't believe she put live animals into my desk. What am I supposed to do with them?"

David shrugged. "You could keep them. I'll help you name them if you want."

Emma glared at him. "Very funny."

* * *

Regina was pretty proud of the fish trick. But she was pretty sure that the war was getting even bigger now, and it could possibly include live animals.

She got to her office; frowning at the color she could see through her door. Last time she checked, her office didn't have any color in it. Hesitantly opening her door, Regina gasped. Her office was completely full of balloons. From the floor to the ceiling, there were balloons of every color.

Regina sighed before beginning to laugh. Thinking about it, it actually was funny. Besides the fact that she couldn't even see her desk.

Still chuckling to herself, Regina began to pull balloons out of her door. Realizing that doing that was doing nothing but creating a huge pile behind her, she started to use her key to pop the balloons in her path.

The office phone began to ring, so Regina began popping faster. She may be in the middle of a prank war, but she was not about to let it interfere with her job as mayor.

Finally, she made it to her desk. "Hello?"

"So you found your desk," Emma said, chuckling. "Not so fun to have your office messed with is it?"

"I only put fish in one drawer," Regina argued. "You've put balloons in my whole office."

"Touché," Emma said. "Love you!"

Regina laughed. "Love you too."

* * *

The war continued on for several weeks after that, finally ending when all of Emma's office supplies (including her desk) had ended up suspended from the ceiling by bungee cords. After that, Emma had reluctantly admitted defeat. There was no way that she could top that.

"I still can't believe that you put my whole desk and everything up in the air," Emma said. "Do you any idea how long it took to get that back down?"

Regina shrugged. "It was totally worth it."

"You could have hurt the fish!" Emma scolded, hitting her playfully.

Regina laughed. "You actually kept them? In your desk?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "They're cute. And a nice distraction if I'm having a bad day. Just open up my drawer and watch my little fish."

"Well I'm glad that you like them," Regina said. "Glad that something good came out of this practical joke war."

"You mean you didn't enjoy the caramel onions?" Emma teased.

Regina shuddered. "No. No I did not."


	149. Day 149: Bad Apple

**This chapter is for Quladi who prompted me to listen to the song "Bad Apple" and write a chapter off of that. Here we go! Since Season 6 started, I'm going to assume all of you are caught up. If not, don't read today :)**

 **This is set after Emma comes to visit Henry and Regina goes off on her for ripping out Violet's heart. Little warning for self-harm because, well, she's the Dark One and the song was dark.**

Emma paced back and forth in her bedroom. She didn't even know why it was here; it wasn't like she slept anyway. Dream catchers could only occupy so much of her time, and lately they had gotten her into a lot of trouble. Especially with Regina.

Emma winced. Regina had said some things that had been hard to hear. But she had been right. Ripping Violet's heart out had been a part of her plan.

 _Ever on and on I continue circling  
With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony  
Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing  
And suddenly I see that I can't break free_

The darkness was a part of her now. And she liked it that way. But she was losing everything, including the woman that she loved the most. So was it even really worth it in the end?

 _I'm slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity  
With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony  
To tell me who I am, who I was  
Uncertainty enveloping my mind  
Till I can't break free_

The old Emma Swan was long gone, that much Emma was certain of. Even if she ridded herself of the Darkness, there was no way that it wouldn't continue to haunt her for the rest of her life. Already she had managed to cause so much trouble, and even pain towards her son. What kind of person did that?

"A Dark One, that's who," Emma mumbled to herself. She glanced over towards the bathroom and got an idea. When she was younger and had felt in a running mood, she had always inflicted pain on herself to keep from causing trouble.

 _And maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real  
But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel  
So I'm tired of all the pain, all the misery inside  
And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night_

It also turned off her emotions. Maybe if her emotions were turned off, she wouldn't be so hungry for power. And if she wasn't so hungry for power, maybe the Darkness would stay quiet and she could make amends with Henry and Regina.

Nodding to herself, Emma reached behind her mirror and pulled out the razor that she kept hidden there. Not that she had to hide it. No one would come into her house.

Emma winced. She was pushing everyone away. But it was for the better. Wasn't it?

Sighing to herself, Emma sat on the edge of her bathtub and pulled up her sleeve. Now that she had learned how to hide her scars with magic, making a few more probably wasn't going to make a difference. Plus she could heal the cuts she made instantly.

 _You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go  
But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know  
If I make another move there'll be no more turning back  
Because everything will change and it all will fade to black_

Emma watched as the blood dripped down her arm. She felt the pain in her arm, but at the same time she didn't. She felt numb. Her emotions had completely left her, shutting her down.

Cut after cut stretched across Emma's arm until the bathtub was lined in the bottom with her blood. And yet she still felt nothing. Was she supposed to feel something?

 _Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?  
Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?  
Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?  
I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?_

Emma supposed that she was probably shedding more blood than was healthy. Already she was starting to feel a little light-headed. But maybe that was a good thing. If she was light-headed wouldn't that mean that she was feeling something again?

Deciding that she had done enough cutting, Emma set the razor on the side of the bathtub next to her. She was dimly aware of feeling the barrier around her house being invaded, but found that she didn't care. The only ones that weren't blocked out were Henry and Regina, and she doubted that either of them would come to visit her. It was probably someone coming to kill her. Which she wouldn't fight.

 _Can I take another step? I've done everything I can  
All the people that I see I will never understand  
If I find a way to change, if I step into the light  
Then I'll never be the same and it all will fade to white_

Did she even want to change? She knew logically that she should...but the power was addicting. Who wouldn't want to have unlimited power?

Then again, she had to look at other factors. Loving Rumple as the Dark One had taken its toll on Belle. What was Emma currently doing to Regina and Henry?

 _If I make another move, if I take another step  
Then it all would fall apart. There'd be nothing of me left  
If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night  
Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?_

Would it be possible for her to even go back to being normal? And what even was normal? Being the Savior? And would Regina and Henry ever love her again?

There were so many questions going around in her head, and none of them were particularly helpful in any way. After all, who in their right mind would ever try to love the Dark One?

 _Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?  
I've forgotten how to see; I've forgotten if I can  
If I opened up my eyes there'd be no more going back  
'Cause I'd throw it all away and it all would fade to black_

Emma leaned her head back against the wall, the lightheadedness in her getting stronger. She had forgotten that she had even cut herself in the first place. Thinking back on it that probably hadn't been a good idea.

Emma jumped as the door to her bathroom was pushed open. Who in their right mind was in her house? Then again, she had just lost a lot of blood. Catching the Dark One at her weak moment. How clever.

"Emma?" Regina whispered. Her eyes were wide as she saw how much blood was all over the bathtub and the floor of Emma's bathroom. "What have you done?"

"Nothing," Emma said flatly. "Just leave me alone."

"I am not going to leave you like this," Regina argued, crossing the room to her and gently picked up her arm. "You did quite a number on yourself."

"I said to leave me alone," Emma said. She tried to pull away, but found that Regina's grip was stronger than she had thought.

"And I said that I wasn't leaving you like this," Regina said. She held her hand over Emma's arm, using her magic to heal all of the cuts there.

Emma sighed in relief as she felt the cuts heal and blood being returned to her system. "Better?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Thank you." She pulled her sleeve down and began to walk out of the bathroom. "Don't worry about the blood. I'll clean it up later."

Regina followed Emma downstairs. "So that's it? We're just going to pretend that you didn't just nearly bleed to death?"

"You and I both know that I can't die without the dagger," Emma said. "There was nothing to be worried about."

Regina reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around. "Regardless of whether you died or not, you still harmed yourself. Quite badly I might add."

Emma shrugged. "I would have been fine eventually."

"Don't pull that with me," Regina scolded. "Is this about what I said at the mansion? About Violet and Henry?"

Emma winced. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize for what I said," Regina said. "And it's a good thing that I did, otherwise you might still be in that bathtub."

"Why do you care?" Emma asked. "I'm the Dark One."

"You're also the woman that I love," Regina said.

"You can't possibly love me," Emma scoffed.

"I can and I do," Regina said strongly. "Just because you're the Dark One right now, doesn't mean that I love you any less. I said what I did because as Henry's mother I'm protective of him. I said things that I didn't mean."

"And yet a part of you meant them, didn't you?" Emma asked. "Henry doesn't want to see me."

Regina sighed. "I know. But he doesn't love you the same way I do. I know what it's like to fight the darkness Emma. I understand what you're going through."

"Then you of all people should understand why it's dangerous to love me," Emma said.

"I do know," Regina said. "And yet I'll love you no matter what. Because that's what people do when they're in love. Stupid things."

And it was in that moment that the Dark One actually laughed.


	150. Day 150: Happy Ending Hill

**This chapter is for MetanoiaAm with the prompt: "Being a very retro, small town America kind of place, Storybrooke probably has its own version of a "Lovers Lane". How about a cheesy date, maybe even first date scenario where Emma and Regina end up at Lovers Lane (with a different name maybe), and "park" (obviously nothing too grotesque)"**

"So where are we going?" Regina asked, trying in vain to see through her blindfold. Clearly she loved Emma, otherwise there would be a fireball directed at her right about now.

"It's a surprise," Emma said. "And typically surprises are kept that way until the other person reveals it. So stop trying to see through the blindfold."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina said innocently.

Emma just laughed as she drove farther out of town. She was honestly surprised that Regina hadn't figured out where they were going yet since she was the one who had created the town to begin with.

"Are you driving over the town line?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma assured her quickly. "I wouldn't do that to you without warning you first."

Regina sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Then why are we going so far away? It feels like we've been driving for a quite a long time."

Emma smiled. "I knew you were keeping track of how long we've been driving."

"Of course I was," Regina said, smirking. "Did you really think that I wouldn't? That's what you're supposed to do when you're kidnapped."

"I didn't kidnap you," Emma said. "You willingly got into the car."

"I'm blindfolded," Regina countered.

"You also willingly put that on," Emma said. "Who knew that the Evil Queen had a weakness to puppy dog eyes?"

"Only yours," Regina said. "And Henry's."

Emma chuckled as she slowed down the bug and parked. "You can take off the blindfold now."

Regina smiled before pulling it off, blinking her eyes a few times to adjust them. She looked at her surroundings before starting to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Emma asked.

"I remember specifically putting this hill here," Regina said. "Do you have any idea what I named it?"

Emma shook her head. The only reason that she knew about this place was because of Henry. He had told her that many dating couples went to this spot for a cheesy date.

"How did you know where this was anyway?" Regina asked.

"Henry told me about it," Emma said. "Told me that a lot of couples come up here for the beautiful view of the city."

"But that's not really what they come up here for," Regina said, smirking.

"You know about this place?" Emma asked.

"Of course I do. This is Happy Ending Hill," Regina said. "I made it right in a place where I could see it from my office window."

Emma started laughing. "Happy Ending Hill?"

"I know, it sounds ridiculous," Regina said. "But I named it that during the curse so that I could look at the hill and smile because no one was up there. Which meant that no one was getting their happy endings."

"And how do you feel about this place now?" Emma asked. She hoped that she hadn't chosen a bad date spot. Sometimes with Regina it was hard to tell.

"I find it incredibly ironic that I'm up here with my own happy ending," Regina said, smiling.

Emma sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was afraid for a moment there that you were going to hate this place."

"I could never hate anyplace if you're by my side," Regina said. "Except for Neverland."

Emma shuddered. "Yeah that's a special exception."

"So what exactly did Henry tell you people do on this hill?" Regina asked. "Besides looking at the glorious view."

Emma smirked. "Oh nothing."

"Nothing?" Regina asked. "Now that doesn't seem like our son. He always has something to say."

Emma laughed. "Well he did say something…"

Regina chuckled before reaching out and gently turning Emma's head towards her before kissing her passionately. They both shuddered as magic and love flowed through their systems, both of them still getting used to the extreme power of True Love.

"You know, if our kiss can do that," Emma said. "I wonder what else we could do."

Regina chuckled before pulling Emma closer to her. "I like where this is going."

 **So fun fact: it takes me twice as long in the shower as it used to because I constantly just stand there under the water and think about what I want to write about. Whoops.**


	151. Day 151: Shattering Glass

**Today and tomorrow's chapters are prewritten because I'm starting my new job and will be training. I'll get back to prompts on Friday!**

 _Emma ran down the alley, Cleo following close behind her. They had started out as captor and prisoner, but now she was actually helping Emma escape. Hearing a grunt and moan behind her, Emma stopped and turned around, seeing Cleo leaning up against the wall, clutching her stomach. She pulled her hand away, and Emma's eyes widened as she saw blood._

" _What?" Emma asked, still panting from their run. "I didn't know you were shot."_

" _It's not a shot," Cleo said breathlessly, turning to face Emma as she slid towards the ground. She moaned as she turned her body._

" _Glass," Emma said, kneeling down in front of her. "I'm so sorry, I, I didn't." She looked up hopefully as the sound of sirens got closer. "An ambulance," she said, turning back to Cleo. "You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be fine."_

" _That's not an ambulance," Cleo said. "That's cops, don't get caught here." She took a deep breath as pain wracked through her body._

" _They'll be able to help you," Emma said, reaching out to hold her up. "And I'll call your family. And your little girl. I saw the picture."_

 _Cleo looked at her sadly, her breathing still labored. "She has no idea who I am."_

 _Emma looked at her in disbelief. "What?"_

" _I look that 10 years ago from across the street," Cleo said._

" _You gave her up," Emma said. "Just like I was."_

" _You're holding on too tight," Cleo said quietly. "Emma, let go. Let go." And with that, she slumped lifelessly in Emma's arms._

* * *

Emma gasped as her eyes snapped open. She hadn't thought about Cleo in years, or her death for that matter.

Taking a deep breath, Emma slowly slid out of bed, glancing over to make sure that she hadn't woken up Regina. She looked down at her hands and winced at how badly they were shaking.

Feeling bile begin to rise up in her throat, Emma quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door before throwing up in the toilet. Curse her nightmares and their effect on her.

"Emma?" Regina called. Emma mentally cursed. Of course Regina would wake up the second that Emma left the bed. She quickly reached forward and flushed the toilet before standing up and making her way to the sink.

Regina hesitantly opened the door. "What are you doing?"

"I just had to pee," Emma said. "Sorry for waking you up."

"You sure that's all it was?" Regina asked knowingly.

Emma grabbed a towel to wipe off her hands and keep them from shaking. "Yeah, I'm good. Just woke up and really had to pee. Let's go back to bed."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's arm as she went to walk past. "Emma-"

"I'm fine," Emma said. "Don't worry about it." She pulled out of Regina's grasp before crawling back into bed.

Regina sighed. She had hit "The Wall". She had Emma had jokingly named their abilities to shut down "The Wall". And yet every time one of them encountered the others, it was always painful. But they had an agreement. Unless things got out of hand, neither one of them would push. Too much.

Tonight, Regina decided to just let it go. Pushing Emma tonight would get her nowhere, and would break their deal of not pushing unless things got out of hand. No, she wouldn't push. For now.

* * *

Emma and David stood outside of the sheriff's station drinking coffee, both of them mentally beating themselves up for forgetting their keys.

"How badly do you think Regina and Snow will make fun of us if we ask for help?" David asked.

Emma pursed her lips in thought. "We'd be made fun of big time."

David nodded. "That's what I thought. So what do we do?"

"I could run home and grab my key," Emma suggested.

"That'll take too long," David said. "We have to get to the woods ASAP. Pongo decided to go for a little morning jog. Without Archie."

Emma laughed. "That dog runs away more than I do."

David joined in her laughter. "I was just thinking of breaking in."

"The sheriff is breaking into his own station," Emma said. "How ironic."

David just smiled before using the end of his jacket to cover his hand and punching one of the windows.

Emma gasped at the sound of breaking glass. Breaking glass. Cleo. Poor Cleo, who died because Emma had been so determined to break into a government building.

"Emma?" David asked, watching as Emma started shaking. "Is everything okay?"

Emma whimpered before sinking slowly to the ground. "I'm so sorry Cleo. I didn't know that you were going to die. It's all my fault."

David's eyes widened before he quickly pulled out his phone. Regina needed to get here. Right now.

* * *

"What's going on?" Regina asked, walking quickly towards where David stood.

"I don't know," David admitted. "We both forgot our keys, so I punched through the window to get into the station. Next thing I knew, Emma was on the ground."

"Anything else?" Regina asked, starting to walk towards Emma.

"She keeps talking about someone named Cleo," David said. "I have no idea who that is."

"Neither do I," Regina said. "But I have a feeling I'm about to." She turned away from David and walked over to where Emma was sitting on the ground. Regina's heart broke at the sight of Emma sitting there, looking terrified and defeated.

Approaching slowly, Regina lowered herself to Emma's level before gently reaching out to grab her hand. "Emma?"

Emma tensed at the sound of Regina's voice. "Cleo. I'm so sorry. You never got to meet your little girl. And it's all my fault."

"I'm not Cleo," Regina said gently. "Come back to the present."

Emma blinked her eyes a few times, snapping out of her trance. "Regina?"

Regina smiled. "Hi there. What was going on in that head of yours?"

"A memory," Emma said. "The breaking glass must have triggered it."

"Does this have anything to do with the nightmare from last night?" Regina asked.

"What nightmare?" Emma asked, avoiding Regina's gaze.

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's chin, forcing green eyes to meet brown ones. "Did you really think that by now I haven't figured out what the signs are after you've had a nightmare?"

"Touché," Emma mumbled.

"So what's going on?" Regina asked. "And who's Cleo?"

Emma sighed. "I was wanted and Cleo was my bail bondswoman. I ran away from her, and broke into a government building to try to get records on my past. The cops surrounded the place, so Cleo broke a window and jumped through. Somehow, she got stabbed by a piece of glass. She ended up dying in my arms in an alley. I had no choice but to leave her there as I ran."

"That's awful," Regina whispered. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"She even had a little girl that she'd never even met," Emma said. "A little girl who was given up, just like me. And I was the reason that her mother died."

"No you're not," Regina said. "You're not responsible for her getting impaled with a piece of glass."

"But I left her in an alley," Emma said. "How could I have just left her there?"

"She was already gone," Regina said. "There was nothing that you could have done."

Emma shook her head as tears began to gather in her eyes. Regina reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "Let 'The Wall' come down," she said. "Just let it come down. I'll be right here."


	152. Day 152: Coffee!

**Happy National Coffee Day!**

Emma stood by the kitchen counter, breathing in the wonderful scent that was her coffee.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, chuckling.

"Breathing in the wonderful scent that is coffee," Emma said. "There's nothing better than the addicting smell of it."

Regina laughed. "You're such a dork."

"But I'm your dork," Emma teased, smiling.

"It's true," Regina said, kissing her gently. While Emma was distracted, Regina reached forward and stole her coffee, quickly walking out of the kitchen.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. "What the heck! Give me back my coffee!"

Regina smiled before taking a big drink of Emma's coffee. "Hm. It tastes better than I thought it would."

"Good," Emma said, snatching her coffee back. "Now stay away from mine."

"I can still get my coffee," Regina said, pulling Emma close and kissing her deeply.

"Ugh," Henry said, walking into the kitchen. "Really? I haven't even had breakfast yet and you're already making out."

"Please," Emma scoffed. "You haven't even seen making out yet. But we'd be happy to give you a demonstration."

"Emma!" Regina scolded, hitting her arm.

Emma just laughed. "Sorry. But not that sorry."

Henry just rolled his eyes. "Hey, what smells so good? It smells like caramel."

"That would be my coffee," Emma said. "You want to try some of it?"

"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed. "I've never had a chance to try coffee before. Although I have heard from my classmates that it tastes kinda bitter."

Emma shrugged. "Just a little bit."

"Don't even think about it," Regina said. "You don't need anything giving you more energy than you already have."

"But mom," Henry whined.

"No," Regina said strongly. "You don't need any caffeine. Especially since you're about to go to school."

Henry sighed. "Fine."

* * *

"Hey kid," Emma said as Henry got in the bug. "How was school?"

"Fine," Henry said. "Nothing too exciting. Not that anything exciting ever happens in school."

Emma laughed. "So basically, you fell asleep again?"

"Maybe…" Henry said guiltily. "I couldn't help it! Some of those classes are just so boring. Snow tries her hardest to make things interesting, but they just aren't."

"I don't blame you," Emma said. "Just don't tell your mom that you fell asleep again. She probably wouldn't like that."

"I know," Henry said. "You know, I am still a little tired."

"You can probably take a nap when we get home," Emma suggested.

"Or you could, you know, give me some coffee," Henry said, smiling at Emma. "That would probably wake me right up!"

Emma sighed. "You know that I can't do that. Your mom already said no."

"But you're my mom too," Henry argued.

"Yeah, but I'm not the boss," Emma said, chuckling. "Your mom is the boss, especially where you're concerned. She's the one that raised you."

"Please?" Henry begged. "I promise that I won't tell her!"

Emma sighed. "Fine. You can have a little sip. But only a little one!"

Henry smiled before picking up Emma's coffee mug and taking a big sip. "Henry!" Emma scolded. "I said just a little one!"

Henry shrugged. "It came out fast."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Sure it did. Whatever." She pulled into the driveway, knowing full well that if Regina found out about the coffee currently in Henry's system, she would be toast.

"Hi mom!" Henry called, throwing his backpack onto the ground and running upstairs.

"Henry Daniel Mills, get back down here and pick up this backpack," Regina called after him. "I raised you better than that."

"Sorry," Henry said, coming back downstairs and picking up his backpack. "I'll hang it up."

"Hang on a minute," Regina said. "Why do you smell like Emma's coffee?"

"I had some in my car," Emma said quickly. "I'm sure the scent just got onto his clothes."

"Then why can I smell it in his breath?" Regina asked. "Was the scent really that strong in the air?"

"Yes," Emma said weakly.

Regina rolled her eyes. "How hyper he is later is entirely your fault."


	153. Day 153: Black Cat

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 (I just realized that the numbers in your username are Lana's birthday. Clever!) with the prompt: "Regina is teaching Emma magic and Emma accidentally turns her into an animal of some kind."**

"What are we going to do today?" Emma asked, plopping next to Regina on the couch. "My parents kidnapped Henry for the day, so we are completely free."

"You could do some reading," Regina suggested, pointing to the pile of books on the coffee table. "I do believe that I gave you some reading to do. Which you haven't completed yet."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Why would I want to read books on magic when I can just do it?"

"You can just do it?" Regina asked. "Okay. Then let's see a demonstration. I was going to have you read on transformations, but I guess since you can just do it, you shouldn't need the book instructions."

"What am I transforming?" Emma asked. Surely Regina wouldn't pick anything too difficult. After all, Emma was just starting to get better at controlling her magic. Turns out, there was more to magic than just ripping out hearts, poofing, and defeating villains.

Regina pointed to a vase across the room. "Turn it into a cat."

"Turn a vase into the living animal?" Emma asked. "Can I even do that?"

"Maybe if you did the reading, you would know," Regina said, smirking.

Emma stuck her tongue out at Regina before walking over and standing in front of the vase. You couldn't just transform something non-living into something living, could you? Then again, this was magic.

"Staring at it won't make it transform," Regina teased, watching Emma with amusement. She knew that the spell would be unsuccessful, but this was her way of teaching Emma a lesson. If she wanted to learn magic, she had to do the unfun parts first. Like reading the books.

It was true that you couldn't make something non-living become living, which was why the spell would be unsuccessful. Then again, Emma was the Savior and could sometimes do things that others could not. Her magic was just that strong.

Taking a deep breath, Emma concentrated her magic towards the vase, visualizing it becoming a little black kitten. Emma smiled to herself. Regina could almost certainly be a black kitten. That might honestly be cute.

Focusing her magic, Emma let the spell go towards the vase. Only it did the most unusual thing. Instead of changing the vase into a kitten like Emma wanted it to, it changed something else into a kitten. Or really, someONE.

Emma looked over at the little black kitten glaring at her from the couch. As she walked over, the little kitten hissed. Emma bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Kitten-Regina probably wouldn't like that.

"We should probably go see Gold," Emma said, delicately picking up Regina. "I may have just screwed up big time."

* * *

"Well this is certainly interesting," Gold said, looking at the kitten sitting on his counter. "I must say, I'm quite impressed. For your first transformation, you actually managed to completely transform her without any missing limbs. Quite an accomplishment, Miss Swan."

"Uh, thanks," Emma said. "Look, how do I change her back? That's what I really came here for."

"What exactly happened?" Gold asked.

"I was supposed to be turning a vase into a cat, but the spell changed Regina instead," Emma said. "How did that even happen?"

"What were you thinking about when you cast the spell?" Gold asked.

"How cute that Regina would be as a kitten," Emma said. "But my magic was aimed at the vase."

"Doesn't matter," Gold said, batting away Regina as she tried to bite his fingers. "If your mind was on Regina, that was where your magic went. Not to mention that you can't turn a vase into a cat. Something non-living can't just be turned into something living."

Emma looked in shock at the kitten. "You were trying to teach me a lesson for not reading the book!"

Regina nodded. Emma rolled her eyes before picking her up. "I know what I need to do. Thanks for your help."

* * *

Emma walked quickly back to her bug, trying to shelter Regina from the cold. "Guess teaching me a lesson didn't work out so well for you, now did it?"

"Emma, are you talking to yourself?" Snow asked. Emma turned around to see Snow, David, and Henry all standing behind her.

"Uh yeah," Emma said. "Just tend to do that sometimes."

"Why is your hand tucked in your jacket?" David asked. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No," Emma said quickly. "You guys just snuck up on me, and I had to quickly hide my surprise for Henry. Wouldn't want to spoil his gift."

"You bought me a present?" Henry asked. "But it's not my birthday."

"I know," Emma said. "Just saw it and thought of you."

"Where's Regina?" Snow asked. "You two are hardly ever apart. At least not for very long anyway."

"She's back at home," Emma said. "So I should probably get going before she starts to worry and calls me." She quickly got into her bug, trying her best to get her seat-belt on with one arm in her jacket, still hiding the kitten from the view of her parents and Henry.

"We need to change you back right away," Emma mumbled as she drove off. The only response she got was a little mew.

* * *

Emma gently put the kitten on the couch before focusing her magic. She thought of Regina again in her human form, and let her magic go.

"Well thank goodness that worked," Regina said, looking happily at her hands. "I was starting to get the urge to clean myself."

"You were a pretty cute kitten," Emma sat, sitting next to her.

"So I'm not cute in human form?" Regina teased. "I get it. So that's how this is going to be."

"Oh shut up," Emma said, kissing her gently. "You know that's not what I meant. I'm glad that you're back to your regular self."

Regina smiled. "Me too."

"So now what do we do?" Emma asked. "And don't you dare suggest reading those books."

Regina laughed. "Well I do believe that you told our son that you have a surprise for him. You might want to get working on that."

Emma just smiled. "Want to help me turn Archie into a kitten?"


	154. Day 154: Miscommunication

**This chapter is for .Br with the prompt: "Regina walks in to see Emma, and she hears Emma talking on the phone when she's getting close she hears what she thinks Emma is talking something to another women, with such a sentiment that Regina thinks that Emma is cheating on her, but actually Emma is planning something special for Regina so Emma is saying this to the person to see if when she says to Regina it will be good. And Regina gets cranky for days or something, and in the end she could confront Emma for it."**

"So we need to talk," Snow said, sitting in front of Regina.

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Okay then." She put down her fork and dabbed at her lips delicately with her napkin before setting it on the table. "What about?"

"Do you always act like a queen?" Snow asked, looking at her napkin.

"It was ingrained in me for years, of course I always do," Regina said. "Is that what we needed to talk about?"

"No," Snow said. "I wanted to talk to you about Emma."

"Emma?" Regina asked. "What about her?"

"I know that you have feelings for her," Snow said. "And I think that you should tell her. Because I think that she feels the same way."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina lied. "Emma is a close friend of mine, but I have no romantic feelings for her."

"Don't even," Snow said. "I can tell. And I know that when you love someone, you love them with all of your being. And I'm telling you that she feels the same."

"How do you know?" Regina asked. "I highly doubt that she tells you everything."

Snow winced. "No, she doesn't. But she does tell Henry. If you don't believe me, you could always ask him."

"I'm not going to ask our son if we have feelings for each other," Regina said. "Don't be ridiculous."

Snow smiled. "You just said our."

"I know," Regina said. "He belongs to both of us. We've reached that agreement a long time ago."

"Come on Regina," Snow said. "You can't tell me that you don't have feelings for her."

"Why do you even care?" Regina asked. "My love life has never been your concern before."

"No, but I want to see you happy," Snow said. "And as her mother, I want to see Emma happy. The only time that the two of you are truly happy is when you're with each other. Shouldn't that count for something?"

Regina sighed. "Fine. I have feelings for Emma."

Snow's face lit up. "Then you have to tell her!"

"And be rejected?" Regina scoffed. "I don't think so."

"Regina, how did you and Daniel fall in love?" Snow asked. "Didn't you have to admit your feelings for each other?"

"Don't rope Daniel into this," Regina warned. "Especially not you."

Snow winced. "I'm just saying, everyone has to go through admitting your feelings. It's how you start a relationship."

Regina sighed. "Where is she?"

"At work," Snow said, smiling. "I'll call David and tell him to take off for a little bit so you two are totally alone."

Regina ran her fingers through her hair. "This will be interesting."

* * *

Emma sat in her chair fidgeting. David had gotten a call from Snow to join her for lunch, so the station was empty except for Emma.

Sighing, Emma scrolled through her phone before arriving at Ruby's number. If anyone could help her with her current situation, it would be Ruby.

"Hey Em," Ruby said. "What's up?"

"I need your help," Emma said.

"The Savior needs help?" Ruby asked. "That's a new one."

"Funny," Emma said. "I'm serious. I need your help. It's about Regina."

"What about her?" Ruby asked. "You still have a crush on her?"

"Maybe," Emma said. "Look, will you help me or not?"

Ruby laughed. "Sure. What's up?"

"I want to tell her how I feel," Emma said. "But I want to practice what I want to say. Will you listen to it and tell me what you think?"

"That's exciting!" Ruby exclaimed. "Fire away."

"Okay," Emma said. "I've had some feelings for you for a long time now, and I just can't hold it in any longer. I know that we've had our differences before, but I really do like you. I'm sure that they didn't have things like dating in the Enchanted Forest, but would you do me the honor of going on dates with me and being my girlfriend?"

"Aww Em that's beautiful," Ruby said. "She'd totally love it. I'd date you."

Emma laughed. "Well that's good." She was so busy continuing her conversation with Ruby, that she didn't notice the door slamming shut.

* * *

It had been several days since Regina had overheard Emma's phone call to Ruby. She couldn't believe that she could have been stupid enough to actually think that Emma had feelings for her. Clearly whoever was on the other line was someone that Emma had feelings for.

Since then, Regina had ignored Emma entirely. She holed herself up in her office or her house, occasionally leaving whenever she needed groceries. Henry was confused as to what was going on, but went about his schedule between Emma and Regina's houses as usual. Emma had tried to call a few times, but Regina had refused to answer.

Henry was at Emma's tonight, so Regina poured herself a glass of wine and curled up on the couch. She usually didn't watch a lot of TV, but Henry had opened her mind to the idea of watching Disney movies. Just not the one she was in.

Just as the opening started for _A Bug's Life_ , the doorbell rang. Regina looked towards the front door in confusion. Who was there? No one ever visited her, and Henry wouldn't have any friends coming here to visit.

The doorbell rang again, so Regina reluctantly set down her drink before walking over and opening the door.

"Emma," Regina said in surprise. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Henry?"

"My parents are watching him," Emma said. "I needed to be here."

"You did?" Regina asked. "What for?"

"You've been avoiding me," Emma said. "And I don't know why. Even when you hated me you were always around and up in my face. You've never avoided me before."

"I've been busy," Regina said.

"Liar," Emma said.

Regina tensed. "Excuse me?"

"My superpower may not work all the time, but I can always tell when you're lying," Emma said. "So why have you been avoiding me?"

Regina sighed. "I heard you talking to Ruby."

"What?" Emma asked. "What do you mean? At the diner?"

"No, on the phone," Regina said. "I was coming into the station to talk to you, and I heard you admitting your feelings to Ruby."

"What? I don't have- oh no," Emma said. She realized what Regina was talking about.

"Oh yes," Regina said. "So if you don't mind, I have some work to get done."

"Wait!" Emma said, reaching out and grabbing Regina's arm. "I don't have feelings for Ruby."

"Your phone call begs to differ," Regina said, trying to pull away.

"I was practicing with her," Emma said. "Those things I said were meant for you. I was practicing with her what I wanted to say, so when the moment came, I wouldn't be as nervous."

"You were?" Regina asked. "How do I know that you're not just messing with me?"

"Would I really do that?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said. "It's just hard to believe. The Evil Queen and the Savior in a relationship. Never thought I would see the day."

Emma smiled. "So we're in a relationship now?"

Regina smiled back. "Yes, I'd say we are."


	155. Day 155: Dragon Protector

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Lola hears her mothers talking about a threat in town. She wants to help protect her family so she magically turns herself into a dragon. It would be really funny if you had her flying around the house and accidentally breathing fire. Her mothers are freaked out but Henry and Ava think it's hilarious."**

"So what do we do about Maleficent?" Emma asked. "We can't keep sending you out with the Queens of Darkness. You don't fit in with them anymore. You could get hurt."

"I can manage," Regina said. "We can't let them know that I'm good now."

"But what if they find out?" Emma asked. "They are full of darkness Regina. They'll do anything to make sure that they kill you so you don't tell any of their dark secrets."

Regina reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing it gently. "What's life without a little risk?"

"And what's my life without you in it?" Emma countered. "I can't lose you. There's 3 kids upstairs right now that need you. I need you. You can't keep pretending to be someone you're not. You're not the Evil Queen anymore, and they're going to see right through you."

Regina sighed. "But I need the information that they have. It's the only way that we'll know what they're up to."

"And what happens when they find out that you're married to me?" Emma asked. "And that we have 3 kids? You know that they'll come after one of them. Maybe all of them!"

"Calm down," Regina said gently. "We don't want to any of them to hear this. They don't need to worry about it."

Emma sighed before running her fingers through her hair. "So what do we do? How do we get rid of them?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "But for now, I say that we just keep pretending like I'm the Evil Queen and get the information that we need."

"I hate that plan," Emma mumbled.

"I know," Regina said, pulling her close. "But it's the only one we have."

"Maybe not," Lola whispered, hiding around the corner. "Maybe not."

* * *

Lola sat in her room, thinking about what she wanted to do. She agreed with Ma; there was no way that Mom could continue to act as the Evil Queen. "Magic," Lola whispered. "That's the only thing that could help."

Lola knew that her mothers didn't like Lola having magic. When she was little, she had used her magic mainly to get her way, and she knew that it freaked them out that she had gotten her magic so early.

"Why are you staring at your hands?" Ava asked, staring at Lola. "You're not trying to do magic are you?"

"To help Mom and Ma," Lola said. "There's some bad ladies in town, and they're both worried about what they're going to do. I want to help."

Ava crossed her arms. "Are you talking about the Queens of Darkness?"

Lola nodded. "Specifically Maleficent. She's their leader, kind of."

"You know, she can turn into a dragon," Ava said. "Maybe if she had to fight against another dragon, she would leave."

"Do you think I could really turn into a dragon?" Lola asked.

Ava shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Lola took a deep breath before channeling her magic. Her magic worked liked Emma's, which meant that all she needed to do was focus on her love for her family, and how much that she wanted to protect them.

"I don't think it's working," Ava said.

"Shush," Lola said, closing her eyes. She could turn into a dragon to protect her family. She knew that she could.

Light purple smoke surrounded Lola as the smell of vanilla and apples filled the room. Ava watched with wide eyes as the smoke cleared away, revealing a large dog-sized dragon.

"It actually worked," Ava said. "I can't believe that it actually worked."

Lola blinked and looked at her before coughing, releasing a small ball of fire. The fire hit the floor, catching the carpet on fire. Ava quickly walked over and stomped it out. "That's probably not good."

Lola looked at her with the heartless eyes of a dragon before roaring. Ava froze, not knowing what to do. "Okay, not good. Really not good."

* * *

Emma tensed in Regina's arms as she heard a roar from upstairs. "That was a dragon roar."

"That's not possible," Regina said. "A dragon is too large to fit into our house. You're just so worried about Maleficent that-"

"I didn't make it up," Emma argued, pulling away from Regina. "I heard a roar. I know I did." Without waiting for a response, Emma quickly walked upstairs. It had sounded like the roar had come from right above them, which was only one room. Lola's.

"Ma!" Ava called coming out of her room. "Don't go in there."

"Why?" Emma asked. "I heard a roar from downstairs. A dragon roar. Are you trying to hide the fact that Maleficent took Lola?"

"No!" Ava exclaimed. "It's just that, well, Lola turned herself into a dragon."

"She what?" Regina asked, coming to stand next to Emma. "How did she do that?"

"I don't know," Ava said. "But it's like she doesn't know who I am. She looked at me and roared, so I just ran from the room. I think she's sleeping now."

"This is great," Emma said. "So now what do we do?"

Regina winced. "We need to make her angry. After she calms down, she'll turn back."

"How do we make her angry?" Emma asked.

"Should be easy enough," Regina said. "She doesn't recognize any of us, so we just have to get close."

"Ava go to your room," Emma commanded. Ava looked ready to protest, but nodded and went quickly back to her room.

"Ready?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. With a flick of her wrist, Lola's door flew open.

"Hi," Lola said, sitting on her bed.

Regina and Emma sighed in relief. "You're not a dragon anymore."

"I figured out how to change myself back," Lola said, smiling guiltily. "I realized after Ava ran from the room that I hadn't made a good choice."

"You think?" Emma said. "What were you thinking?"

"I heard you guys talking about the Queens of Darkness and how much a danger they were," Lola said. "I wanted to help."

"By turning yourself into a dragon?" Emma asked. "How was that supposed to help?"

"Maleficent can turn into a dragon," Lola said. "I thought if I could too, she would realize that we're serious about keeping the town safe."

"You weren't supposed to hear any of that," Regina said, sitting next to Lola on her bed. "I understand that you wanted to help, but you can't use your magic like that."

"I know," Lola mumbled. "I won't do it again."

"You bet you won't," Emma said. "You could have hurt someone!"

"Emma," Regina said, a warning in her voice. She looked pointedly at Emma's hands, which had started to spark.

"Dang it," Emma mumbled, calming herself down. Sometimes having magic tied to your emotions was a pain.

"I really am sorry," Lola said. "I just wanted to help. Why are those ladies so bad?"

"They've been through a lot of pain and loss," Regina said gently. "They just don't see the happiness in life anymore."

"That's sad," Lola said.

"I know," Regina said. "And hopefully things with be sorted out soon. But until then, you don't worry about anything okay? We'll handle it."

"Okay," Lola agreed. "I think I'm going to get my homework done now."

"That sounds like a great idea," Regina said. She kissed Lola on the cheek before getting up and leaving the room, Emma following close behind. Once Lola's door was closed, Regina quickly went to Ava's room to let her know that everything was under control, and then peeked into Henry's room to make sure that nothing bad had happened. He hadn't moved in 3 hours.

"Everyone is okay," Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand and leading her back downstairs.

"For now," Emma said. "I don't like any of this. Maybe we should have them all come downstairs. That way we're all in the same place."

"It's very clear that you don't like any of this," Regina said, letting go of Emma's hand as it started sparking again. "You need to calm down."

"I finally have a family," Emma said. "How am I supposed to calm down when all of them are being threatened by a bunch of magical demon-ladies?"

"Just take a deep breath," Regina said. "Everything works out in the end for us, doesn't it? No matter what is thrown at us, we always manage to fight back. And win."

"But what if this time is different?" Emma asked.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Regina said. "Besides, we have a dragon on our side too."

"That is so not funny," Emma said.

"Yeah it is!" Henry exclaimed coming down the stairs, Ava and Lola close behind him. "How could I have missed Lola turning into a dragon? That must have been funny."

"She almost lit her room on fire," Ava said. "I had to stomp it out."

"That is so awesome," Henry said, chuckling. "By the way, do you think that we could have a movie day?"

"A movie day?" Regina asked. "What's the special occasion?"

Ava shrugged. "We may or may not have been eavesdropping on your conversation. So we thought that we would all spend the day together to show Ma that we're not going anywhere."

Emma smiled before pulling all three of them in for a hug. "You guys are awesome."

Lola laughed. "Yeah, we know."


	156. Day 156: Security Blanket

Regina sighed as she tossed and turned. She reached over to the pillow next to her and grabbed it, breathing in the scent that she associated with Emma.

Snow and David had finally managed to guilt-trip Emma into staying with them for a night. They claimed that they had already missed a good portion of Emma's life, and weren't about to lose more.

Emma had asked Regina at least 50 times (not that Regina had been counting) if it was fine that she spent the night with her parents. Regina, being the stubborn woman that she was, had told her every time that it was fine. Emma was only going to be gone one night. What could happen?

Turns out a lot could. The house seemed to lose its energy without Emma there. Henry was more sullen and quiet, and Regina didn't blame him. She felt the same way.

The only difference was that Henry could sleep without Emma there. Regina could not. She hated to admit it, but Emma had become her security blanket. She found herself not wanting to sleep unless Emma was there, simply because of the nightmares that haunted her without Emma by her side.

Regina sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She had debated calling Emma, but knew that Snow and David would probably get upset that she had taken Emma away from them. Again.

Regina glanced over at the clock and groaned when she realized that it wasn't even midnight yet. How was she going to get through the whole night?

Sighing, Regina admitted defeat. There was no way that she was going to be able to sleep without nightmares. And a sleep with nightmares was pretty much no sleep at all.

Stretching, she quietly got out of bed and walked downstairs. At least now she could get some more work done. Not that she needed to.

Just as she went to walk past the front door, Regina heard a knock. She looked over in surprise at the clock by the door. It was 11:30. What was someone doing at her house this late? And how would they have known that she was awake?

The person knocked again, this time a little louder. Regina sighed before walking over and opening the door. "It's extremely late so I suggest you make this quick."

"Are you always this grouchy at 11:30?" Emma teased.

Regina looked at her in surprise. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with your parents."

Emma shrugged. "I knew that you weren't going to be able to sleep. I left them a note."

"You should go back," Regina said. "As much as I want you here, you know that they'll give me a hard time that you left."

"They give you a hard time whenever I leave somewhere to be with you?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "Usually it's the classical 'because of you we never got to experience being parents' thing. I've started to get used to it."

"That's awful!" Emma said. "Why would they do that? And it wasn't your fault."

"I cast the curse that took you away from them," Regina said. "So yes, my fault. And I don't think they'll ever let me forget it."

Emma pursed her lips in anger. "Okay. Well, I'll be having a talk with them later. But for now, we should get some sleep."

Regina hesitated, still blocking Emma's path. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

Regina just shook her head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Well now I'm going to worry about it," Emma said. "What's going on? And why are you still blocking the door?"

"Sorry," Regina said, stepping aside. "I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Come on, spill the beans," Emma said. "What's going on that made you hesitate? You never hesitate to let me in."

Regina bit her lip. "You're my security blanket," she said. "I just thought that I should tell you. Not that you haven't figured it out already."

"I did," Emma admitted. "But it's nice to hear you say it."

"I'm sorry," Regina said. "I know that it's a lot of responsibility to always have to be there for someone."

Emma shrugged. "I like it. Any way that I can be there for you, I will. I wouldn't have made an effort to be here right now if I didn't want to help. Besides, you're mine too."

"I am?" Regina asked in surprise.

Emma nodded. "That's also partially why I'm here. I can't sleep without nightmares unless I'm with you."

Regina smiled. "Well now that we're together, getting some sleep shouldn't be a problem."

Emma smiled back before walking into the mansion. She and Regina walked upstairs together and got into bed. After several moments they both fell asleep; each in the arms of their security blanket.

 **Fun fact: I actually still sleep with a blanket. I literally can't go to sleep without him.**


	157. Day 157: Postcards

"We need to start decorating for Halloween," Emma said, walking into the kitchen.

"We do?" Regina asked. "Don't we have until the 31st?"

"But that's no fun," Emma said. "You have to decorate early. Plus you have so much house space that we could make a huge haunted house."

"That is a direct no," Regina said. "We are not going to scare young children."

Emma sighed. "You're no fun."

Regina shrugged. "I scared people long enough. I'd rather just do something completely basic."

"Do you have decorations?" Emma asked. "I feel like you don't because you never want to decorate."

"I have decorations," Regina said. "They're just probably very buried in the attic."

"You have an attic?" Emma asked. "Since when?"

Regina laughed. "You've been living here how long?"

Emma smiled. "3 years. But that's not important. This house is way bigger than it looks on the outside. It's deceiving."

"Sure it is," Regina said. "I'll go up there and look. I'm sure that they're around here somewhere."

* * *

Regina coughed as dust flew up in her face. "This is probably the one room I have never cleaned."

She pushed aside cobwebs, trying her best to look through the flying dust for Halloween decorations. She and Henry had used to celebrate this day, but he had decided that he was too old for it shortly before Emma had arrived in town.

Regina thought that she saw a mummy, so she headed in that direction, tripping over a box in the process. Looking over her shoulder, Regina looked in confusion at the postcards all over the floor. Where had those come from?

"Are you okay?" Emma called. "I heard a really loud thud."

"I'm fine," Regina called back. "But could you come up here?"

"I thought you said that you were fine?" Emma asked, climbing up the ladder.

"I am," Regina said. "I just found a box, but I don't know what it is. Which means that it's probably yours."

"You put some of my boxes up here?" Emma asked, joining Regina. She froze when she saw the box. "Oh. That box."

"So this is yours?" Regina asked. "I was beginning to worry that I had gotten a bunch of postcards without going anywhere."

"Maybe you did," Emma said.

"Don't even try that," Regina said, standing up and brushing herself off. "How do you have so many postcards? Are they ones that people sent to you?"

Emma laughed bitterly. "I didn't have a secure address. No one could send anything to me."

"So then where are these from?" Regina asked. "Some of them look like towns that I've never even heard of before."

"Maybe you should get out of town more often," Emma teased. "There's lots of postcards out there. Or you could make Storybrooke ones."

"Like you need another one," Regina said, looking at the pile on the floor. "So back to my previous question that you keep avoiding. Where are all of these from?"

Emma sighed. "Every postcard is from a place that I've stolen something from. It was either something little like a toothbrush, or something big like a car. I always took a postcard."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"So I would always have a reminder of all the places that I've been," Emma said. "You can never tell me that I haven't traveled a lot of places."

"True that," Regina said. "But why would you want a reminder of all of the things that you've stolen?"

"They're like trophies," Emma said. "And a reminder."

"A reminder?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "They're a reminder of the life that I used to live, and how much stronger that I am because of it. I don't regret anything, or the places that I stole from. It made me stronger."

Regina smiled. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Emma laughed. "The Savior who used to be a criminal is amazing? That seems a little off."

"Not at all," Regina said, kissing her gently. "You're amazing."

"Your opinion is also extremely biased," Emma said, chuckling.

Regina smiled. "Details."


	158. Day 158: Big Question

**This chapter is for Chloe with the prompt: "Regina asking Emma to move in"**

Regina sat in her office, moving the key she was holding from hand to hand. She had asked Emma to come to her office at noon, and she was already late. Did that mean that she wasn't interested in what Regina had to say?

Not to mention that this was going to be a big step in their relationship. Once you moved in with someone, things definitely changed. What if Emma didn't like living with her?

Regina jumped as she heard a knock on her door. "You may enter."

Emma laughed as she walked in and closed the door behind her. "You say that every time, and yet it still makes me laugh."

Regina blushed. "I can't help it. It's proper queen vocabulary."

"Is there anything about you that isn't queen-like?" Emma asked.

Regina pursed her lips as she thought about it. "No. I don't think there is."

"Didn't think so," Emma said, leaning casually up against Regina's desk. "So what's up? Or did you want me to come in just to say hi. Because you have done that before."

"Only once," Regina mumbled. "And no, that's not what I called you here for."

"Then what's up?" Emma asked. "It has to be something big or you wouldn't have called me in during your work day."

Regina was about to ask her question when Emma's phone went off. "Sorry," she apologized. "One second. Hopefully this isn't urgent."

Regina nodded, going back to playing with the key to keep her nerves under control. What if Emma didn't want to move in? She supposed that it would be fine; they could keep having a relationship with different houses. But wouldn't Emma want to move out of her parents' house?"

"Dang it," Emma mumbled as she hung up. "That was David. Leroy got drunk again and started a bar fight. I have to go deal with this, but I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Okay," Regina said. Stupid dwarves and their love for vodka. Always had to ruin everything.

* * *

"Is Emma coming over for dinner?" Henry asked.

"Well it is Friday night," Regina said. "So I would assume so."

"Have you asked her to move in yet?" Henry asked. "Because you really should. She practically lives here anyway."

"She does," Regina agreed. "But no, I haven't asked her yet. I was going to, but a drunk dwarf got in the way."

"Leroy got drunk again?" Henry asked. "Maybe he should see Archie."

"You try and make Leroy do anything," Regina said. "It never ends very well."

Henry laughed. "Anything concerning Leroy never ends well."

"You making fun of Leroy again?" Emma asked, walking into the room. Regina and Henry both jumped, not expecting her to just suddenly be in the house. "Sorry. Just poofed myself in. I didn't want you to bother with unlocking the door."

"Speaking of which," Regina said, reaching into her pocket. "I have something for you."

"You do?" Emma asked. "My birthday isn't for a couple weeks."

"It's not a birthday present," Regina said, chuckling. She pulled the key out of her pocket and held it up. "It's a relationship present."

Emma's eyes widened. "Is that a key to your house?"

Regina nodded. "Now you can let yourself in whenever you want. And if you end up just, oh I don't know, staying in the house when you enter, that would be fine too."

Emma smiled. "Is that your way at hinting that you want me to move in?"

Regina smiled back at her. "Maybe."

"So are you going to?" Henry asked. "Because I'm getting kind of tired of going back and forth between houses like I'm the child of a divorced couple."

Emma and Regina laughed. "I am kind of too old to be living with my parents," Emma said.

"So is that a yes?" Regina asked.

"What do you think?" Emma asked, kissing her gently.

Regina smiled. "I think that you need to start packing."

 **Sorry this was so short, but I didn't have a lot of time to write today. It's getting harder to keep up with the every day schedule!**

 **You guys have no idea how excited I am for October 22nd. I have been planning the chapter for Emma's birthday since Day 21.**


	159. Day 159: Jumping To Freedom

Regina was in the middle of having a very nice rest when her phone rang. She groaned, rolling over and picking it up. "Hello?"

"Regina we need your help," a tearful Snow said.

"Who's we?" Regina asked. "And why do you need my help in the middle of the night?"

"David and I. Emma found out that we sent all of her darkness with Lily into this world," Snow said. "She left and we haven't seen her since. We thought that she just wanted to cool off, but then she sent us a text saying goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Regina asked. Her stomach dropped. What was Emma thinking?

"She told us that if we didn't really believe in her ability to manage her own balance of dark and light, then it would just be better for her to be gone," Snow said. "What do we do?"

"Where is she?" Regina asked.

"That's the thing," David piped in. "We don't know where she is. We were hoping that you could do a locator spell for us."

"I promised her a long time ago that I wouldn't do that to her," Regina said. "We came to an agreement that if we wanted to be found, we would leave clues for each other that only we would understand. No magic."

"Clues?" Snow asked. "What kind of clues?"

"I'll be over in a little bit," Regina grumbled, sitting up. "I'll be able to find her."

* * *

"Thank you for helping," Snow said.

Regina shrugged. "She's my closest friend. Of course I'm going to help."

"Just friends?" Snow asked.

"Now is not the time to have this conversation," Regina said. "Let's just focus on finding Emma and bringing her home."

"You can't deny your feelings forever," Snow said, following Regina into Emma's room. "You're going to have to tell her eventually."

"Since when do you give relationship advice?" Regina asked, looking on Emma's dresser for a clue as to where she was hiding.

Snow shrugged. "I'm not. I just think that you should tell her. You might be surprised at her reaction."

"I'll be sure to tell her when I find her," Regina said. "Which you're not helping with."

"You said that the clue is something that only you would understand," Snow said. "How am I supposed to help with that?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know, just look for things that are out of place. You were a hunter in the woods, you would think that would have given you some skills."

"What about this?" Snow asked, picking up a book. "I don't think that Emma reads for fun."

"You're right, she doesn't," Regina agreed, taking the book from Snow. " _Jumping To Freedom_? What book is this?"

"No idea," Snow said. "I've never heard of it before."

Regina looked at the book. What was Emma trying to tell her? Was this even the clue? And then it hit her. Jumping.

"What?" Snow asked. "Why did you just get really pale?"

"Because I know where Emma is," Regina said. "And we can only hope that I'm not too late."

"Too late for what?" Snow asked. But she was too late. Regina had already poofed away.

* * *

Regina walked quickly towards the toll bridge, hoping beyond hope that Emma hadn't jumped yet. This couldn't happen.

"I see you found my clue," Emma said as Regina walked up behind her. She was standing on the edge of the bridge, her hands resting calmly at her sides.

"Very blunt," Regina said, stopping a good distance behind her. "Why don't you come down and we can talk about how to better your clues?"

"I can't do that," Emma said. "I need to do this."

"Why?" Regina asked. "Because your parents got rid of your inner darkness and gave it to someone else?"

"Because it's once again a case where no one believes in me," Emma said. "And it's better to be dead than not be believed in."

"I believe in you," Regina said. "So does Henry."

"Sure you do," Emma said bitterly. "Don't lie to me."

"Have I ever lied to you?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma mumbled.

"Then trust that I'm not lying to you now," Regina said. "You can't do this. I need you. Henry needs you. And I'm not saying that because you're the Savior."

"Then why do you need me?" Emma asked. Without realizing it she had actually taken a step towards Regina and away from her death.

"For Henry," Regina said. "He loves you. He would be devastated if you left."

"I didn't ask about Henry," Emma said. "I asked about you."

"This isn't the time for this conversation," Regina said. "You need to get away from the edge of that bridge and come towards me."

"Why?" Emma asked. "Why do I need to come down?"

"Because I love you!" Regina blurted out.

"You love me?" Emma asked, looking over her shoulder at Regina.

Regina nodded. "I do. And that's why I need you to come down from the ledge. Please."

Emma bit her lip and looked back down at the water. "But they'll never believe in me."

"Emma please," Regina pleaded. "Please."

Emma bit her lip before slowly nodding and stepping off of the ledge. "Okay. I won't jump."

Regina smiled in relief before walking quickly to her and hugging her tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Emma smiled. "Yes ma'am."


	160. Day 160: Bedtime Story

**So this chapter is for the lovely bstix, who requested a happy chapter today. Because any chapter with Lola can make any day happy :)**

"Mommy!" Lola called. "I need my story!"

Regina smiled. It was true that she loved her son, but there was something special about a child that you yourself had carried for 9 months and given birth to. No wonder Emma and Henry were so close.

"What are we reading tonight?" Regina asked, sitting next to Lola on her bed.

"A story!" Lola said excitedly.

Regina laughed. "What story?"

Lola thought hard about it. "You make up a story!"

"You want me to make up a story?" Regina asked. Lola had never asked for that before. What was she supposed to do?

"About a princess!" Lola said, burrowing under her covers.

"A princess?" Regina asked. She wracked her brain for any stories that she knew about princesses. And then it hit her. She was a princess once.

"Okay," Regina said. "I'll tell you a story about a princess."

"Yay!" Lola said. She grabbed her teddy bear and looked at Regina expectantly.

Regina smiled. "Once upon a time there was a princess named Lola."

"That's my name!" Lola said in surprise.

"It is," Regina said, chuckling. "Now this princess was very kind and had a lot of love in her heart. Specifically towards a stable boy."

"The princess is in love with a stable boy?" Lola asked. "But princesses are supposed to marry princes!"

"That's true," Regina said. "But this princess wanted to marry him anyway. She loved him with all her heart, and was prepared to run away with him if she needed to."

"So they got married?" Lola asked.

Regina shook her head sadly. "No, they didn't. The queen found out about the princess and the stable boy, and had the stable boy killed so that the princess would be forced to marry the king." Regina knew that she wasn't being entirely honest, but she couldn't exactly tell her young daughter that the stable boy had his heart ripped out.

"What happened to the princess?" Lola asked. "She must have been really sad."

"She was," Regina said sadly. "But she married the king of another kingdom, and became a stepmother to his daughter."

"So she had a family," Lola said, yawning. "That's good."

"It was," Regina agreed. "But the princess, now a queen, didn't love the king. The pain from losing the stable boy became too much, and she became evil and learned magic to get revenge on those who had played a part in his death."

"Oh no!" Lola said. "What happened?"

"The queen scared many people before she was finally defeated," Regina said. "But after she was defeated, she made friends with the people who used to be her enemies, and found love again."

"She did?" Lola asked hopefully.

Regina nodded. "She found someone who she loved very much, and they got married. They had 3 children, and now they're living happily ever after."

Lola smiled as she closed her eyes. "That was a good story Mommy."

"Thank you," Regina whispered. "Now get some sleep." She leaned down and kissed Lola's forehead before getting up and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"That was your story, wasn't it?" Emma asked from behind her.

Regina jumped. "What are you doing?"

"I always listen to story time," Emma said, shrugging. "I'm just usually gone by the time you come out. This time I stayed."

"Oh," Regina said. "I didn't realize that you listened."

"So, was that your story?" Emma asked. "Because it sounded a lot like it."

Regina nodded. "She asked me for a story about a princess. So I told her one."

"The story of the princess before the Evil Queen," Emma said. "You'll have to tell her the whole story someday. That was only a glimpse of what really happened."

"She doesn't need to know what really happened for quite some time," Regina said.

Emma shrugged. "It was a nice story. Especially the last part."

Regina smiled. "It's true. The queen found her happy ending, and lived happily ever after."

Emma smiled before kissing Regina. "I told you that I would help you find your happy ending. And I'm so glad that I'm a part of it."

 **Happy World Smile Day! Smile :)**


	161. Day 161: To The ER

**Sorry for not updating yesterday! I had a super busy day and didn't have time to write or upload. Here's the one that should have been yesterday's.**

 **This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Appendicitis. Regina gets appendicitis and Emma rushes her to the hospital."**

"Emma," Regina said, shaking her wife. "Wake up."

Emma groaned before opening her eyes. "What?"

"Something's not right," Regina said through gritted teeth. She had woken up with severe pain on her right side. Something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, fully awake now.

"My right side really hurts," Regina said.

Emma reached over and turned on the lamp next to her side of the bed. They both winced at the sudden light as their eyes adjusted.

Emma sat up and gently pulled the covers off of Regina. "Show me where it hurts at."

"Where my hand is currently," Regina mumbled. Emma put her hand gently over Regina's before pressing down slightly. Regina hissed in pain before grabbing Emma's wrist with her other hand to stop the pressure.

"I'm guessing from your current grip on my wrist that hurt?" Emma asked, gently removing her wrist from Regina's grasp.

"Very much so," Regina said. "Please don't do that again."

"Sorry," Emma said. She picked Regina up into her arms bridal style. "Had to check and make sure I wasn't taking you to the hospital for no reason."

"We're going to the hospital?" Regina asked. "Why?"

"Because you need surgery," Emma said. "And very quickly."

* * *

Emma paced back and forth in the waiting room, anxious for news from Whale. She had poofed herself and Regina to the hospital, and had called her parents to stay at the mansion in case Henry woke up.

Meanwhile, Emma got to wait in the waiting room alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. She ended up just sitting a chair, thinking about the time where she had been too late to save someone else who was in this same spot.

* * *

 _She had been at a foster home once where a little boy's appendix had ruptured in the middle of the night. Her foster mother had taken the night to spend with her friends, and her foster father was passed out in the bedroom, drunk._

 _The little boy had been crying from the pain, but Emma and the other foster kids had no idea what to do. The oldest foster kid had suggested taking him to the hospital, but he was 15, and didn't know how to drive a car yet._

 _Being the rebel and reckless person she was, Emma had volunteered to drive him herself. She, the little boy, and a couple other kids had all piled into the family's truck and headed for the ER._

 _None of them were sure where it was, but they eventually got there. Emma managed to park the truck without too much damage, and they all ran inside._

 _The nurses had listened to their story and symptoms before taking the little boy on a stretcher into surgery._

 _After waiting several hours, the doctor had come out with sad news. The little boy had died because his appendix had ruptured and the toxins had spread to his blood. There had been nothing that they could have done. She hadn't even known his name._

* * *

"Emma?" Whale called, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you okay? You look really pale. Perhaps we should get you checked out."

Emma shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm fine. Just thinking. How's Regina?"

Whale looked at her skeptically. "If you say so. She's fine. The surgery went well, and she should recover quickly. Her appendix didn't rupture, which will make it easier on her."

"Can I see her?" Emma asked, standing up.

"I don't think I'd be able to stop you," Whale said, smiling. "Come on back."

Emma smiled at him gratefully before following him to Regina's room. "Take it easy on her," Whale said. "If she starts to fall asleep, say that you have somewhere to be so that she rests. That woman is one of the most stubborn patients I have ever dealt with."

Emma laughed. "That doesn't surprise me at all. Thank you."

Whale nodded before walking away. Emma took a deep breath before opening the door and entering Regina's room. Regina had her eyes closed, so Emma shut the door quietly before taking a seat next to her bed.

"Stop staring at me," Regina mumbled.

Emma laughed. "How are you such a great fake sleeper?"

Regina smiled and opened her eyes. "Years of practice."

"How're you feeling?" Emma asked, reaching out and grabbing Regina's hand.

"I'm fine," Regina said. "Just tired."

"Maybe you should get some rest," Emma suggested.

"And maybe you should stop listening to what Whale has to say," Regina countered, smirking.

Emma laughed. "You really are something."

Regina chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Several beats passed in silence as Emma held tightly to Regina's hand. She was thankful that this situation was entirely different than the last time she had encountered appendicitis.

"Emma," Regina said, worry laced in her voice. "Are you okay? You just went deathly pale."

Emma smiled. "Whale said that too. I think I'm just worried about you."

"Cute, but wrong answer," Regina said. Emma looked up at her in surprise. "You can lie to anyone else Emma, but you can't lie to me."

Emma sighed. "There was a little boy in a foster family of mine that died from appendicitis. His appendix ruptured, and the toxins got into his blood."

"That's awful," Regina whispered. "I'm sorry you had to be a part of that."

Emma shrugged. "But if it hadn't, I wouldn't have known the signs of appendicitis. Since I did, we were able to get you here in time."

Regina squeezed her hand. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," Emma said. She smiled as she saw Regina's eyes starting to close. "You really should get some rest."

"I'm fine," Regina mumbled, her eyes drooping closed.

"I have to go check on Henry anyway," Emma said. "Just get some rest while I'm gone."

"You are such a liar," Regina mumbled. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was the sound of Emma's laughter.


	162. Day 162: The Talk

**This chapter is for Guest with the prompt: "Giving Ava the talk and Lola listens and asks how her mom's make love when they have lady parts?"**

"Do we really need to do this?" Emma whined.

Regina chuckled. "The sooner we get it over with, the better. Then we never have to talk about it ever again."

Emma groaned and sat back dramatically in the couch cushions. "I'm just going to sit here, and you're going to do all of the talking."

Regina laughed. "I don't think so. You're going to contribute to some of the conversation."

"What conversation?" Lola asked, walking into the room. "Are you guys talking about how awesome I am again?"

Regina and Emma looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Lola smiled triumphantly. She loved making her mothers laugh.

"She may look like me, but that personality is all you," Regina said.

Emma smiled proudly. "You bet it is."

"What are we laughing about?" Ava asked, walking into the room. Now at 15, Ava was even more beautiful than her mothers had thought possible. It was no wonder that a lot of boys were paying attention to her.

"Me," Lola said. "And my awesomeness."

Ava rolled her eyes affectionately. "You're a dork."

Lola shrugged. "I know."

"Lo, would you mind leaving the room for a little bit?" Emma asked. "We have something important that we need to talk to Ava about."

Lola looked at them skeptically. "Sure." She slowly backed out of the room, continuing to watch them all.

Once she was gone, Regina chuckled. "That girl really is something."

"True that," Emma agreed. "Life would be so boring without her."

"So what do we need to talk about?" Ava asked, sitting on the couch across from Regina and Emma. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Regina said quickly. "We've just been noticing that you've been hanging around more boys recently and-"

"Hold up," Ava said. "Are you trying to give me the sex talk? Because I've already heard all of this."

"How?" Emma asked.

"Health class in school," Ava said. "It's like, one of the first units in the class."

Emma sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I did not want to have this conversation with you."

"So you know everything?" Regina asked. "The difference between what a man and woman have, and how they make love?"

"Oh my god Mom stop," Ava said. "Seriously, yes. I got it. Did not need to hear you say that."

Emma laughed. "Well this just took a fun turn."

"Can I go now?" Ava begged. "Please?"

Regina nodded. "Good talk. You can go." Ava shot out of her seat like a rocket and bolted from the room, most likely to text her friends about what had just happened.

Lola waltzed back into the room, plopping down in the spot where Ava just was. "So I have a question."

"What about?" Regina asked.

"Well," Lola said. "If you and Ma both have lady parts, how do you make love?"

Emma stood up quickly. "Nope. Not doing this conversation."

"Emma Swan, don't you dare leave me alone," Regina called after her retreating form. "Emma!"

Regina sighed and looked at Lola. Lola looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

 **I'm laughing so hard right now.**


	163. Day 163: Protector Spell

"What is she doing here?" Hook asked, glaring at Regina as she walked in the room.

"Be a little more respectful Captain Guyliner," Regina said. "I was asked to be here. I merely responded to her request."

"You asked her to be here?" Hook asked, looking in surprise at Emma. "What for?"

"We need to talk," Emma said. "And I need to prove a point."

"What point?" Regina asked.

"That my True Love isn't who everyone thinks it is," Emma said. "Do you remember how my heart has a protection spell on it?"

"Of course," Regina said. "No one is able to take your heart from you."

"Except for my True Love," Emma said. "My True Love should be able to rip it out anyway. The spell won't block it."

"I'm not sure I like where this is going," Hook said.

"For once I agree with the pirate," Regina said. "I don't like where this is going."

Emma pulled a potion out of her pocket and handed it to Hook. "Put some of this on your hand. It will give you the magic to rip out my heart."

"You want me to rip your heart out?" Hook asked. "Are you crazy?"

Emma shrugged. "Maybe. But if it doesn't work, that means that you're not my True Love."

"And then what?" Hook scoffed. "Her Royal Highness tries as well?"

"It's Your Majesty," Regina said, glaring at him.

Hook rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Could you two quit it?" Emma asked. "Killian, just pour the stuff on your hand."

Hook sighed before pouring the potion on his hand, causing it to glow bright yellow. "You sure you want to do this?"

Emma nodded and turned to face him. "Go for it."

Hook took a deep breath before reaching for Emma's heart. Just as he was about to reach into her chest, Emma's heart shield repelled him backwards.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, walking over and offering her hand to help him up.

Hook waved away her hand before looking at Regina. "Your turn."

Emma turned to Regina and smiled. She and Regina both knew that this would work. They had tried it before. But Emma needed Hook to see it and tell her parents about the incident.

Regina took a deep breath before reaching towards Emma's chest. As she was just about to reach into Emma's chest, she hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"I don't want to hurt you," Regina whispered.

Emma smiled. "And that's why you're my True Love. You can do it."

Regina nodded before reaching into Emma's chest and pulling her heart out. She looked down at Emma's heart, and froze at the sight of another heart in her hand.

"You're her True Love," Hook said, gazing at Regina in shock.

Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts before pushing Emma's heart back in her chest. "Yes. Yes I am."

Hook nodded before standing up. "Very well then. I'll be going."

Emma grabbed his arm as he passed her. "Thank you for being understanding."

Hook smiled at her. "Who am I to get in the way of True Love?"

* * *

"Regina is your what?" Snow asked.

"True Love," Emma said calmly.

"How do you know this?" David asked.

"She can rip my heart out," Emma said. "She's the only one who can get through the True Love barrier."

"Maybe she's using some kind of rare magic," Snow said. "You don't know what she has up her sleeve."

"Nothing this time," Regina said. "I promise."

"I don't believe you," Snow said skeptically.

"Then let us show you," Emma said. She turned to Regina expectantly. "Take out my heart again."

"What? No," Regina said. "There's no way that I can take it out again."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"I'm not going to purposefully hurt you to prove a point to your parents," Regina said. "That's not worth it."

Emma smiled as David and Snow looked at Regina in awe. "You really have changed," Snow whispered.

"And you really do love each other," David said. "And are True Loves."

Regina and Emma nodded. "Glad you finally figured that out," Emma said.

David and Snow shared a glance. "True Love works in mysterious ways," David said. "I guess this is just the way yours is."

Emma smiled at Regina with nothing but happiness in her eyes. "Yes. Yes it is."


	164. Day 164: For Your Own Good Part 1

**This chapter is for TheCyanBandit with the prompt: "One of them gets put under a sleeping curse and the other has no idea what is happening"**

Snow crept into Regina's vault, listening carefully to make sure that no one was inside already. If Regina caught her here, all of their relationship trust would be gone. Not that it wouldn't be after this anyway.

"What are we doing here?" David asked. "Why are we trespassing in Regina's vault?"

"Because we need something that only she will have," Snow said, starting to search.

"And what exactly are we looking for?" David asked.

"This," Snow said triumphantly, holding up a needle. "Have to be careful with it. Not that it would affect us anyway."

"Snow, this isn't right," David said. "Why are we stealing a sleeping curse from Regina's vault?"

"Because we're going to prick Regina with it," Snow said. "And we're going to prove to both her and Emma that they _are_ True Love's. No matter how much they want to skirt around talking about it."

"We can't just prick Regina with a sleeping curse without her permission!" David argued. "Emma would never forgive us for that."

"And what would you suggest then?" Snow asked. "They both deserve to be happy, David. And if this is what it takes, then I'm willing to do that."

Several beats passed before David sighed. "Fine. Let's do it."

* * *

"I don't remember inviting you two into my office," Regina said, not even looking up as Snow and David walked into her office. "Or scheduling an appointment."

"This was too important," Snow said. "It's about Emma."

"What about her?" Regina asked, giving David and Snow her full attention.

"We need your help with something," Snow said. "We're trying to prove to her that the person she loves really is her True Love."

"And what do I have to do with this?" Regina asked.

"We're getting the whole town together," Snow said. "Kind of a big get-together. And we know that you're good friends with Emma. So would you help us out?"

Regina sighed. As long as Emma was happy, she supposed she would have to learn to be happy for Emma and whomever she loved. "Very well. I'll help."

Snow smiled. "I'm glad that you agreed, otherwise this would have been a lot harder."

"What?" Regina asked. She tensed as Snow and David walked over on either side of her. "What the hell is going on?"

"You'll thank us for this later," Snow said, grabbing Regina's index finger and pricking her with the sleeping curse.

"What have you done?" Regina asked, pulling away from Snow.

Snow just smiled as Regina's eyes slid closed and she started to slump to the floor. David quickly reached forward and picked her up bridal style.

"Now what?" David asked.

"Now we move on to Stage 3," Snow said. "Time for Emma to wake her up."

* * *

"What is going on?" Emma asked, looking out the station window. People seemed to be walking quickly all over the place, as if the town was suddenly under not control whatsoever.

Snow came running into the station. "Emma! Thank goodness we found you!"

"I'm here all the time," Emma said, confused. "It's not like it's hard to find me."

Snow waved her hand dismissively. "The town is going crazy, and we need your help."

"Isn't that Regina's job?" Emma asked. "She's the mayor, not me."

"She's the reason that everyone is freaking out," Snow explained. "Someone put her in a sleeping curse!"

"Someone what?" Emma asked. She jumped to her feet, ready to spring into action. No one hurt Regina and got away with it. Especially with something like a sleeping curse.

"Pricked her finger with a sleeping curse," Snow said.

"Wait a minute," Emma said. "The only sleeping curse available in town is in Regina's vault."

"And?" Snow asked. "What does that matter?"

"Because no one is allowed in Regina's vault but our family," Emma said, stepping away from Snow. "And Henry and I would never do that to her. And she wouldn't do that to herself."

Snow winced. "Emma I-"

"You put her under a sleeping curse?" Emma asked. "What is wrong with you?"

"You can wake her up!" Snow exclaimed. "You both love each other, so it should work."

Emma shook her head. "I can't believe you. I'll try it, but I can't believe that you would do something like this."

Snow tried to justify her actions, but Emma was already gone. She had poofed herself right to  
Regina's side.

* * *

Henry jumped as Emma suddenly appeared next to him. "Ma? What are you doing here?"

Emma shook her head. "It's a long story. But I'm here to wake your mom up."

"I knew you were True Loves," Henry said, smiling.

"You and everyone else," Emma mumbled, sitting next to Regina. "Who brought her here?"

"David," Henry said. "He said something about a sleeping curse and then left really fast. He seemed kind of guilty about the whole thing."

"Of course he did," Emma mumbled. She reached over and brushed some of Regina's hair out of her face.

"You're going to wake her up," Henry said strongly. "I know you are."

Emma took a deep breath. "Please wake up." She leaned down and gently pressed her lips to Regina's, hoping beyond belief that her kiss would be the key to waking Regina up.

 **Mwahahahaha. See you tomorrow :)**


	165. Day 165: For Your Own Good Part 2

Emma pulled away as Regina gasped awake. "It worked," Emma whispered. "I can't believe that it really worked."

"Neither can I," Regina said. "My True Love according to Tink has a lion tattoo on their arm. Which I'm pretty sure you don't."

"Sometimes True Love finds a different way," Henry said, holding up a new page to the storybook. It showed all that had happened recently; from the pricking of Regina's finger to where they all were now.

"Well thank goodness it turned out this way," Emma said. "I can't imagine if that hadn't worked."

Henry nodded. "Which kind of leads to my question. What are you going to say to Snow and David?"

"Oh I have plenty of things to say to them," Emma said.

Regina reached out and grabbed her hand. "They were just doing what they thought was the best for you. That's all."

"You could have been stuck in that sleeping curse forever," Emma argued. "There is no way that I would have been able to even look at them if my kiss hadn't woken you up. What if that had happened?"

"But it didn't," Regina said. "I'm awake and I'm fine."

"That's not the point," Emma said. "They put you into a sleeping curse without your permission, and for what? To make us realize that we were True Love's?"

"You might want to talk about that too," Henry pointed out.

Regina slowly sat up. "You make a good point, but now is not the time for that conversation. I think what we need to do right now is have a conversation with Snow and David over what happened."

"There is no way that I am talking to them," Emma said.

Regina squeezed her hand gently. "Emma-"

"I don't want to talk to them," Emma interrupted. "I just need a bit of time to cool off. No use in talking to them when I'm angry, right?"

Regina sighed and then nodded. "Fine. You don't have to talk to them now. But you will have to eventually."

* * *

It had been a month since the sleeping curse incident, and Emma still hadn't spoken a word to Snow or David. It proved difficult at work, since she worked with David, but somehow she made it work.

They had tried to talk to her on multiple occasions, but Emma had just walked past them and went about her day. Nothing that they did now could fix what had been done.

Regina, however, had tried to get Emma to talk to her parents. Just as Emma was finally starting to cave, Regina woke up from one of the burning room nightmares. Night after night of nightmares led to Emma not liking her parents any more than she had previously.

Regina's mission now was to finally get Emma to talk to her parents. The nightmares had stopped, but Emma still remained stubborn on the fact that she was not going to talk to Snow and David anyway. She sure could hold grudges.

"We need to talk," Regina said, sitting next to Emma on the couch.

"Is this about my parents again?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "It's been a month. You can't just ignore them forever. I'm the one who was put under the curse, and I forgave them."

"For reasons I don't understand," Emma scoffed. "They need to understand that what they did was wrong."

"And a month of the silent treatment didn't do that already?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to them."

Regina leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

"Thank you for finally talking to us," Snow said. "We appreciate it."

"I'm not doing it for you," Emma said simply, holding tightly to Regina's hand.

David nodded. "We know. But it's nice to hear your voice again."

"I just came to tell you that I still don't like what you did," Emma said. "But if Regina is willing to forgive you, then I guess I can try."

David and Snow smiled. "Thank you."

Emma shrugged. "You gave Regina a second chance. I suppose you deserve one too."

"Thank you," Snow said. "But we really did do it for your own good."

"And you ruined it," Regina mumbled.

"My own good?" Emma said. "Just like the wardrobe was for my own good? Somehow, I don't think doing things for my own good is working out very well for you."

"We just wanted you to be happy," David said.

Emma shook her head. "What if she hadn't woken up?"

"But she did," Snow said weakly.

"And what if she hadn't?" Emma asked. "What if she hadn't woken up? Then what? Would you all have celebrated? The Evil Queen is finally gone?"

"Emma," Regina said gently, squeezing her hand. Emma took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

"That's not at all what we were doing," Snow said. "I swear. We just wanted the two of you to realize that you were True Loves. You both have been through so much, and we just wanted to help your happy ending along."

"I think I can speak for both of us when I say that while we appreciate it, it probably wasn't the best idea," Regina said.

"Yeah, we realized that after the fact," David said, smiling guiltily. "We really are sorry that we went about it that way. And I hope that someday you'll be able to forgive us."

Emma bit her lip before nodding. "Someday I will. I just have a hard time with forgiving stuff where someone I love is put into danger."

"We know," Snow said. "Just don't take too long. You are our daughter after all."

"I am," Emma agreed. She stood up, pulling Regina with her. "But that doesn't mean that you know what's for my own good."

* * *

It took several months, but Emma finally seemed to forgive Snow and David. It had been rough on all of them, but they eventually had come to an agreement that Emma would forgive them if they kept out of her love life.

Regina was happy that things were finally back to normal. She herself had just repaired her relationship with Snow, and wanted to keep it that way.

The doorbell rang, and Regina walked quickly to answer it. "Snow," she said in surprise.

"Is Emma home?" Snow asked.

Regina shook her head. "She and Henry went to the woods. Something about learning to sword-fight."

Snow laughed. "That sounds like them."

"Did you need her for something?" Regina asked.

Snow shook her head. "I came for you actually."

"You did?" Regina asked. "What for?"

Snow stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Regina. "For this. What I did to you was no different than you forcing me to eat that apple so long ago."

"It really is fine," Regina said. "Emma is over it, so I am as well."

Snow smiled. "You really have changed."

"Well I'm glad that someone has finally noticed," Regina teased.

Snow laughed. "I really did do it for your own good."

Regina smiled. "I know. And I appreciate it."


	166. Day 166: Burnt Toast

**So this chapter is dedicated to AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "How about Henry and Emma try to make Regina breakfast in bed, but it goes terribly wrong and Regina has to save the day." I know that your prompt said that it was for her birthday, but I'm trying to stick to accuracy and their actual birthdays.**

Regina woke up to an empty bed, which never happened. She was usually the early riser, not Emma. Emma slept like the dead.

Stretching, Regina slowly got out of bed. There was some strong magic in the room, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Not yet anyway.

Reluctantly taking off her covers, she walked over to the door. Maybe Emma was downstairs and had made some kind of magical mess. Magic still wasn't her strong suit.

Regina opened the door, only to be stopped by a magical barrier. "What the hell?" Regina tried to use magic to bring the barrier down, but found that she couldn't. "Blood magic."

"I may have found some of your spell books last night," Emma admitted guiltily, walking up to the door.

"How?" Regina asked. "My vault is sealed with blood magic."

"And Zelena is related to you by blood," Emma said, smirking. "She jumped at the opportunity to help lock you up."

"Of course she did," Regina mumbled. "So why are you locking me up?"

"Because you're going to get back into bed, and Henry and I are going to make you breakfast," Emma said.

"You and Henry?" Regina asked. "Cooking? I don't like that idea very much."

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "It'll be fine. We can cook. Now get back into bed."

Regina sighed before trudging back to her bed in defeat. "I don't know why you're doing this," she said. "It's not like it's a special occasion today."

"I know," Emma said. "But it's just a little thing to let you know that I love you. I don't cook for just anyone."

Regina smiled. "I would kiss you, but there's a magical barrier in my way."

"And it's staying there," Emma said, smiling at her knowingly.

Regina sighed dramatically before lying back against her pillows. "Fine."

* * *

"So how are we going to do this?" Henry asked. "What are we going to make?"

"If we do it right, we should be making apple pancakes," Emma said.

"If we do it right," Henry said. "I hope you realize that both of us aren't very good in the cooking department.

Emma shrugged as she started to gather ingredients. "I have faith in us."

Henry sighed and started to get measuring cups out. "We're going to burn down this whole kitchen."

"Stay positive," Emma teased.

"Okay, I'm positive we're going to burn down this whole kitchen," Henry said.

Emma laughed. "Let's just try."

"Maybe we can start on something a little easier?" Henry suggested. "Like toast? Toast would be good. Everybody likes toast."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Fine. We can do toast. If that goes well, then we can try the pancakes."

Henry nodded before grabbing the bread. "We can do toast. No problem."

* * *

"We can't do toast," Henry said.

Emma sighed as she pulled the 10th pair of bread slices out of the toaster. They were burnt. Again.

"Now what?" Emma asked.

"Maybe we should let Mom come down," Henry said. "All of us are hungry, and this is a disaster."

"But she was supposed to have breakfast in bed," Emma pouted, glaring at the burnt toast.

Henry laughed. "She'll appreciate the sentiment."

Emma sighed. "Fine." She trudged upstairs, still pouting as she took down the barrier to her and Regina's bedroom.

"You seem to be without a tray," Regina said, smirking. "Does this mean that you've given up?"

"How'd you know that things were going badly?" Emma asked.

"I could smell the burnt toast," Regina said, getting off of the bed. "I do appreciate the sentiment, but you can't cook."

Emma looked down at her feet. "I know. But I wanted to try something special."

Regina tilted Emma's face up so their eyes met. "And I love that you wanted to. But we're all starving, and I hardly doubt that any of us want to eat burnt toast."

"Yeah, you're right," Emma said.

"Of course I am," Regina teased, kissing her. "Now let's go have some apple pancakes. Made by me."


	167. Day 167: Criminal Minds

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Emma tries to get Regina to watch one of her favorite TV shows and accidentally sucks them into it."**

"What are we watching tonight?" Regina asked, plopping onto the couch next to Emma.

"I am going to introduce you to one of the greatest TV series of all time," Emma said. "Criminal Minds."

"What is it about?" Regina asked.

"Well all of the episodes are different," Emma explained. "But the main idea is that someone gets killed at the beginning of each episode, and their killer is found at the end."

"That sounds...interesting…" Regina said. "But I suppose I did promise to watch whatever you had planned, so go for it."

Emma smiled. "I'm starting us off in Season 6, because that's when Prentiss joins."

"Prentiss?" Regina asked.

"She's one of the characters," Emma said. "My favorite to be exact. She's just so strong. I wanted to be her when I grew up."

"Well then I think I need to meet her," Regina said.

* * *

4 episodes later, and Regina was fighting to stay awake. It wasn't that she didn't like the show; she just didn't find it interesting. Some of the killers were just predictable.

Besides, she had done worse things to people in the Enchanted Forest. What this show qualified as torture was nothing in comparison.

"You zoned out again," Emma said, pausing the episode. "We can just stop watching if you want."

"I'm sorry," Regina apologized. "I just can't seem to make myself interested in what they have to say. It's just starting to become predictable is all."

"Maybe you just need to get more into it," Emma suggested. "Huh. Get more into it. That would be fun."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"You know, if we could actually get into the show," Emma said. "Be the ones to solve the crime."

Regina shook her head. "You are crazy."

Emma shrugged. "I know. But think about it. Us, working together as partners; solving crime after crime." She gestured to the TV, and froze when she saw white smoke surrounding her and Regina.

* * *

After the smoke cleared away, the two women looked around at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Regina asked.

Emma blanched as she looked at where they were. "We're in the TV show. We're literally in the TV show."

"What episode did you put in?" Regina asked.

Emma looked around at their surroundings. "Oh no."

"What?" Regina asked. "What's wrong?"

"I accidentally put this episode in instead of the one that I wanted," Emma said. "This is the one where Prentiss dies."

"She dies?" Regina asked. "Spoiler alert."

Emma laughed. "We need to hide. He's going to be here any second, and that's when we really don't want to be seen."

"What's going to happen?" Regina asked.

"Shh," Emma hissed. She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her behind a pile of boxes, hoping that it would hide them from Doyle.

Doyle walked into the room, pulling Emily with him. "Are we just expected to sit here and watch?" Regina whispered. "I can't just watch a woman be killed."

"Then I would look away," Emma said as the fight between Emily and Doyle began. Like every time she watched the episode, Emma winced when Doyle stabbed Emily. She glanced over and saw Regina's very pale face looking back at her.

"He stabbed her with a wooden plank," Regina whispered.

Emma nodded before taking her hand and squeezing it gently. For Regina's sake, she wished that they would get home soon.

A couple seconds later, white smoke surrounded them again, transporting them safely home.

* * *

"Thank goodness," Regina sighed in relief. "I did not want to stay there for one more minute."

"I'm so sorry," Emma apologized. "I had no idea that we would be in that episode. Or that scene. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina said.

"He got to you, didn't he?" Emma asked, scooting closer to her.

"Yes," Regina admitted. "The look in his eyes was one that I've seen in my own before. I could have done that to someone."

"But you didn't," Emma said, smiling. "And that's all that really matters."

Regina smiled. "At least I didn't stab people with a large wooden plank."

Emma laughed. "That's good."

Regina smiled before pushing herself off of the couch and leaving the room. "I burned them while they were attached to it instead."

 **So I didn't know what TV show to choose, because the only one that I really watch is OUAT.**


	168. Day 168: Blind Dates

**This chapter is for Quladi with the prompt: "Blind dates, more exactly Henry is trying to get Emma and Regina to date by setting them up on blind dates with each other." Your original prompt was much longer and I didn't want to have it all here, but I'll be using the whole thing.**

"You need to dress up tonight," Henry said, walking into the station.

"Why?" Emma asked. "You're at Regina's tonight. We're not doing anything, are we?"

"No, but you're going on a blind date," Henry said simply. "I've already arranged it all, so don't even think about making up an excuse."

"Why am I going on a blind date?" Emma asked.

"Because you've been moping, and you need to be happy," Henry said. "So I thought that I'd try to set you up with someone nice."

Emma sighed. "You're not going to let this go if I don't go, are you?"

"Nope," Henry said, smiling. "So you might as well go."

"Fine," Emma grumbled. "Now get home before Regina yells at me."

Henry shrugged. "She won't yell at you now. You guys are pretty much best friends."

"Yeah," Emma said as Henry left. "Just friends."

* * *

"Mom, do you have plans tonight?" Henry asked after he had hung up his backpack.

"I don't think so," Regina said. "I assumed that you and I were going to do something since it's my night with you."

"I have something better in mind," Henry said.

"You do?" Regina asked in confusion.

Henry nodded. "You have lots of nice clothes. So getting dressed up for a date should be no problem at all."

"A date?" Regina asked. "Henry, what are you talking about?"

"I set you up on a blind date," Henry said. "You haven't had anything romantic in a long time, so I thought that maybe you'd like to try this."

"Blind date?" Regina asked. "What is that?"

"It's where you go on a date with someone that you've never met before," Henry explained. "Lots of people in this world do it."

"I am not going on a date with someone that I don't know," Regina said.

"Please?" Henry asked.

Regina sighed. "Fine. I'll think about it."

* * *

The next night, Emma walked again to Granny's. Her date had stood her up last night. After about a half an hour of waiting, Emma had ended up texting Henry and telling him that she was just going home. He had apologized, and had said that he was sure the next one wouldn't be the same.

The problem was that the next one was today. Emma had gotten called out on a last minute case, and was currently running 10 minutes behind schedule.

"Hey Em," Ruby greeted her as she came in the door. "Having another blind date tonight?"

"Unfortunately," Emma said. "Henry insisted that this one would be better. I am late though."

"I hate to tell you this, but there's no one here for a date," Ruby said.

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was being stood up. Again. "Maybe they'll come later," she said hopefully.

Ruby watched her as she sat in a booth for half an hour. And then an hour. And then two. Emma eventually sighed and got up, leaving the diner without a word.

Ruby sighed. Why wasn't Emma's date showing up?

* * *

"You haven't been going on your dates," Henry said at dinner.

"I told you, I'm not interested in going on a date with someone that I don't know," Regina said. "No matter how good of a match you said it would be."

"But what about the other person that you keep standing up?" Henry asked. "How do you think she would feel?"

"She?" Regina asked. "Henry, who did you set me up with?"

"The point of a blind date is to not know," Henry mumbled.

Regina looked at him pointedly. He sighed. "I set you up with Emma."

Regina's eyes widened. "Emma?"

Henry nodded. "And she's shown up the past two nights, waiting for you to show up."

"Oh no," Regina mumbled. "Tonight is my last chance, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Henry said. "So you better show up."

"Oh I will," Regina said. "Now I just need to pick out my outfit."

* * *

Emma sat in her room, tracing the flower tattoo on her arm. Was love really going to be a reality for her? Granted, it was pretty hard to have a relationship with someone when you still lived with your parents.

Regina suddenly appeared right next to Emma's bed, dressed up as if she was going to a date.

"Regina?" Emma asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I believe you're missing your blind date," Regina said, reaching out her hand. "Let's go."

"What?" Emma asked. "I'm not going to it. I've been stood up the past two nights. I'd rather not make it a third."

Regina winced. "Sorry about that."

"Wait, the blind date is you?" Emma asked. "Henry set me up on a date with you?"

Regina nodded. "I didn't want to go on a date with someone that I didn't know. So I just didn't go."

Emma laughed. "That doesn't surprise me at all."

"So?" Regina asked. "Are you ready for our date?"

"Yeah," Emma said, taking her hand. "I definitely am."


	169. Day 169: Lilo and Lola

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Lola uses her magic to bring her favorite story character to life."**

6-year-old Lola sat in her room, all alone. Henry was off at college, and Ava was out with some friends. Her mothers were home, but who wanted to just hang with their parents?

Sighing, Lola went over to her bookshelf and pulled out her "Lilo and Stitch" book. It was her favorite Disney movie, so her mothers had gladly gotten her the book. Anything to get her reading.

Lola loved the movie mainly because of Lilo. She was sassy, funny, and wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was someone that Lola wanted to be friends with.

It wasn't that Lola didn't have any friends. Other kids just tended to be intimidated by her mothers being the formal Evil Queen and Mayor, and the Savior. Kids didn't want to say the wrong thing and suddenly find themselves at the end of the wrath of Lola's mothers.

Ava and Henry didn't really help either. Henry was gone for most of the year, and Ava was hardly ever home. They were still all very close, but Lola wanted a friend other than her siblings. They were practically required to be her friend.

"I wish I had a friend like you," Lola said, looking down at the picture of Lilo on the cover of her book. "Or that you were real. I would love to really get to meet you."

Sighing in disappointment, Lola set the book next to her. She would never have a friend like Lilo.

"Why do you look so sad?" a voice asked.

Lola looked over in surprise and saw something she had never thought she would ever see. Lilo. Right in front of her.

* * *

"It's very quiet upstairs," Regina said. "I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

Emma shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine. She always gets quiet when Henry is gone and Ava is out with a friend. I think she gets lonely."

"Doesn't she have friends?" Regina asked. "She's always around people at recess."

"You watch her during recess?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled guiltily. "I want to make sure that the other kids are nice to her."

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "You can't spy on our daughter."

"I was afraid that she would have a hard time making friends," Regina said. "And it seems that my worries were warranted. She never seems to be around anyone."

"Maybe she likes being a loner," Emma said. "Some kids like that."

"You and I both know that Lola is social," Regina said.

"Should we check on her?" Emma asked. "Maybe suggest doing something together? Just the three of us?"

Regina practically started running upstairs. "I thought you were never going to suggest that."

Emma laughed as she followed Regina upstairs. "I should have known."

Just as they got to the top of the stairs, Lola's door opened. She walked out and froze at the sight of her mothers.

"Lo?" Emma asked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Lola said quickly. "Just fine."

"You're acting strange," Regina said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Lola said. "I was just going to come downstairs and ask if we could do something."

Suddenly, a crash sounded from inside Lola's room. Lola glanced behind her and glared at Lilo, who was looking down in shock at the bowl that she had just dropped.

"What was that?" Regina asked.

"Nothing," Lola said. "I was cleaning up, and something must have fell. I'm not very good at cleaning."

"Maybe we can help," Emma said, going to walk past Lola into her room.

"That might be a good idea," Lilo said from inside Lola's room.

"Who was that?" Regina asked.

Lola winced. "I wanted a friend. That's all."

"Lo, what did you do?" Emma asked. Lola looked down at her feet and stepped to the side, letting Emma walk into her room.

"Oh no," Lilo said. "I just got Lola into trouble, didn't I?"

"No, it's okay," Emma assured her. "You're Lilo, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Lilo asked skeptically.

"You're in a story," Lola said, picking up the book. "I took you out of your story because I needed a friend."

"Oh," Lilo said. "Is Stitch still in there?"

Lola nodded. "But you could learn to really like it here. We could be as good as friends as you and Stitch."

Lilo shook her head. "Stitch needs me. I need to go home."

Lola sighed. "Okay." She took the book from Lilo and thought about how Lilo needed to get home. When she looked up, Lilo was gone.

Regina pulled Lola into her arms. "You don't need to bring story characters to life in order to have friends."

"But no one at school will be my friend," Lola said sadly. "They're always too intimidated."

"Then prove them wrong," Emma said. "Show them that you're someone who they can be friends with."

"It's not that easy," Lola said. "They're afraid of saying the wrong thing because of you guys and what you can do."

"So show them what you can do," Emma said, smiling.

"Emma!" Regina scolded. "We do not encourage use of magic."

"Her powers are strong," Emma said. "And she knows how to control them."

"I do," Lola agreed. "Maybe if I showed them that I had magic too, they would want to be around me and think I'm cool."

"Lola, you shouldn't need magic to make people like you," Regina said gently. "Just be yourself, and I can guarantee that you'll make friends in no time."

"But what if they don't like who I am?" Lola asked.

"Then they aren't who you're supposed to be friends with, and you find other people," Emma said. "Making friends sometimes takes time. Just be patient."

"I don't have patience," Lola said.

Emma and Regina laughed. "Then you better get to making some new friends right away," Emma said.

"Okay," Lola said. "I'll go to the park."

Before Emma or Regina could say anything, Lola disappeared in a cloud of light purple smoke.

Emma looked at where Lola had just been. "Did she just-"

"Yes, yes she did," Regina said.

Emma sighed before grabbing Regina's hand. "That girl is going to be our death."


	170. Day 170: Snow Queen

**This chapter is for rswope86 with the prompt: "Can you maybe do one where Regina confronts Ingrid because she is one of Emma's foster parents that abandoned her?"**

Regina walked around the forest, feeling livid. She had finally managed to calm Emma down and get her home. The problem now was Ingrid.

The Snow Queen had managed to take Emma from being one of the strongest people in town to being one of the weakest. Hence why Regina was currently walking through the forest, looking for any sign of where she might be hiding.

"Do you always wander around the forest with a murderous look in your eyes?" Ingrid asked, stepping out from behind a tree.

Regina spun to face her. "No. Only when I'm looking for someone who hurt someone that I love."

"Oh really?" Ingrid asked. "Because the last time I checked, I didn't make Emma hurt Henry."

"I'm not talking about Henry," Regina said through clenched teeth. "I'm talking about Emma. She was doing just fine until you got here and had to ruin everything."

"But now she has unlimited powers," Ingrid said. "I was doing her a favor."

"You did nothing of the sort," Regina said. "You turned her against herself. You made her doubt how strong she was."

Ingrid shrugged. "All great people start with doubting themselves, and then build themselves up."

Regina lashed out, using her magic to grab Ingrid by the throat. Ingrid gasped, struggling for air. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"I already told you," Regina said, walking closer to her. "You hurt someone that I love. And now you must pay the price."

"I didn't hurt her," Ingrid said. "I was trying to help."

"Then how do you explain abandoning her as a child?" Regina asked.

Ingrid's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? I didn't abandon her. She ran away from me."

"You scared her," Regina accused. "Of course she was going to run away after you told her that she could do magic."

"I saw her true potential, even if she didn't," Ingrid said. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Follow her," Regina said. "If you loved her as much as you claimed to, you would have chased after her and made things right. Instead, you let her go. You abandoned her. Just like every other foster parent she ever had."

"No," Ingrid gasped. "I would never abandon her."

"Well that's what she thinks," Regina said. "That you let her go, and were just like every other foster parent she ever had."

"I need to make things right," Ingrid said, struggling harder against Regina's magical hold. "I need to talk to her."

"You are not going anywhere near her," Regina hissed. "Not after what you've done."

"Please," Ingrid pleaded. "I need to talk to her. I can make things right."

"Nothing you can say will make me let you anywhere near her," Regina said. "And if you are anywhere around her, I will not hesitate to kill you."

She released her hold on Ingrid before poofing herself back to Emma's side.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged before sitting down next to her. "Just had a little business to get done."

Emma looked at her skeptically. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Regina said, feigning innocence. "I can't believe you would think so little of me."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Regina Mills, what did you do?"

Regina bit her lip. "I may have had a little chat with Ingrid."

Emma's eyes widened. "You did what?"

"Had a little chat with her about her treatment of you," Regina said. "Both past and present."

"Why would you do that?" Emma asked.

"Because she hurt you," Regina said. "You were shaking and scared of what you could do with your magic. I wasn't just going to let her get away with that."

Emma smiled before kissing her. "Let me guess. You threatened to kill her."

"She did," Ingrid agreed. "I didn't listen."

"And I plan to keep my word," Regina said, lighting a fireball as she stood up.

"Don't," Emma said, grabbing Regina hand. "Relax."

Regina stared at Ingrid before finally getting rid of the fireball in her hand and sitting back down.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked, letting go of Regina's hand and standing up.

"I came to make things right," Ingrid said. "I need you to understand that I never meant to abandon you. I love you."

"Do you?" Emma asked. "You were the one parent that I finally felt connected to, and you forced me to run away. I thought you were crazy. The one person that finally loved me was crazy."

"And I'm so sorry for that," Ingrid said. "But please, try to understand."

"Understand what?" Emma asked. "That as an adult, you've already tried to make me doubt myself? I hurt my family because of you!"

Ingrid shook her head. "You're the one that hurt your family. I didn't do anything."

"That's enough," Regina said, glancing at Emma's hands. They had started to spark again, an effect that only Ingrid seemed to have.

Emma nodded before sitting down next to Regina. "Thank you for trying to make things right."

Ingrid looked at her sadly before poofing herself away, leaving Emma and Regina alone.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked, grabbing Emma's hands.

"I'm fine," Emma said, trying to pull away. "You shouldn't touch me."

"I'm fine," Regina said. "I'm not going to avoid touching you because of how you doubt yourself when Ingrid is around."

"I don't want to hurt you," Emma said.

"Listen to me," Regina said. "You are an incredibly strong person, Emma Swan. Don't you dare let anyone make you think otherwise. No matter how well she thinks she knows you, she doesn't. Understand?"

Emma nodded. "Understood."

Regina smiled before pulling Emma into her arms. "I love you."

Emma relaxed in her embrace. "I love you too."


	171. Day 171: Scar Story

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Knowing Regina doesn't talk about the scar above her lip Emma finally asks her about it, thinking it was the result of childhood abuse or something equally tragic. Turns out the reason behind it is much more mundane than expected."**

"You should tell me a story," Emma said.

Regina looked over at her in confusion. "Right now?"

Emma shrugged. "Why not?"

"Maybe because it's currently 11 pm?" Regina pointed out. "What do you need a story for?"

"Because," Emma said, rolling over to face her. "I want to know more about you. And the easiest way to do that is through a story."

"Depends on what you want to know," Regina said. "And whether I want to talk about my past."

"I want to know about this," Emma said, reaching out and lightly brushing her thumb across the scar above Regina's lips.

"I don't talk about that scar," Regina said. "You know that."

"I do," Emma agreed. "But this is a way for me to get to know you better. And I think as your girlfriend, that I have the right to get to know you better."

"Oh you do?" Regina asked, chuckling.

Emma nodded. "Now stop stalling and start talking."

Regina sighed. "It's probably not what you think it is. I was honestly just being stupid and got hurt, resulting in a scar. That's all."

"Well that story was boring," Emma teased. "Come on, just tell me what happened. I promise that I won't judge."

Regina took a deep breath. "I was out riding, but not on my usual horse. I thought that I was talented enough at riding that I would be fine training a new horse; even though Daniel warned me that it was harder than it looked."

"So you _have_ always been stubborn," Emma teased.

Regina laughed. "Yes. Yes I have. Anyway, I was riding this new horse and it was going well. Until he got spooked by a squirrel running in the path."

Emma burst out laughing. "A squirrel spooked a horse?"

Regina smiled. "Yes, a squirrel. Anyway, he bucked and threw me from his back. I landed on the ground, and cut my lip on a branch that was in my way. I didn't think it was that deep, but apparently it was. Obviously, considering I have a scar from it."

Emma sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought something terrible had happened to you."

"Being thrown from the back of a horse isn't terrible?" Regina asked.

"That's not what I meant," Emma said quickly. "I meant that I thought that your mother had done something horrible to you, and that's why you had that scar."

"I see," Regina said. "Let's put it this way. Any scars that you can see were never made by my mother."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "You hide them with magic?"

Regina shook her head. "They're all right here." She took Emma's hand and placed it over her heart.

Emma looked at her sadly. "Maybe I can borrow that time-traveling spell from Zelena and just go back and kill your mother."

Regina chuckled. "No, I don't think that would be wise."

"Why not?" Emma asked. "It would save you a lot of pain."

"And where would I be without that pain?" Regina asked. "My past may not be happy, but it helped shape who I am today. And I wouldn't give that up for the world."

Emma smiled. "You're insanely strong, you know that?"

Regina laughed. "If I was strong, I would have resisted the Darkness in the first place."

"But look at where you are now," Emma countered. "I'd say that it takes a pretty strong person to realize their errors and become a better person. And that's why I love you."

"Even though my scar stories aren't very exciting?" Regina teased.

Emma laughed. "Yes. From now on, just make up something completely badass."

Regina smiled. "That I can do."

 **It seriously makes my day when you guys review or PM me with how much that you love the story, or are a new person who just started reading and already love it. Thank you so much! :)**


	172. Day 172: Autocorrect

**Sorry for missing yesterday! I got called into work at the last minute.**

 **Guide to this chapter: Emma is bold,** _Regina is italic._ **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Gina!**

 _Emma? What's wrong?_

 **My dad is next outside arresting some guy!**

 _For what? And who is it?_

 **It's too dark to tell who it is! All I know is that he's reading the person their banana rights, so it sounds serious.**

 _His banana rights? I don't think you realize how hard I'm laughing right now._

 **Whoops. Shut up.**

" _You have the right to a banana. If you can't afford one, one will be provided for you."_

 **I hate you.**

* * *

 _Is it just me or has this been the longest week ever?_

 **It has. It's not just you. But guess what.**

 _What?_

 **It's Friday! TGI Fibromyalgia!**

 _*slowly falls to the floor laughing*_

 **I meant Friday! FRIDAY**

 _*laughs even harder*_

 **Whatever Regina.**

* * *

 **Just watched the morning news. The weatherman said to prepare for flamingos this weekend.**

 _Oh no! Anything but flamingos!_

 **Turn down your sass levels Regina Mills. I meant flooding.**

 _Thank goodness! I didn't know how to prepare for the bird invasion._

* * *

 **Can you pick me up some crankshaft on the way home?**

 **Cranium juice**

 **Crab juice**

 **Cranberry Jews**

 **OH COME ON!**

 _Your phone really does hate you._

* * *

 **Worst morning ever.**

 _Why? Are you okay?_

 **Car wouldn't start. And I ran out of tampons, so I had to use a notepad.**

 _Wow. Well that doesn't sound very absorbent._

 **Hahaha I meant MAXIPAD. What the heck. At least I'm laughing now.**

 _There you go!_

* * *

 _I need groceries. There's no food here and I'm starving._

 **Just come over! I have tasty stuff in my panties!**

 _I bet you do_

 **OMG I meant pantry! Stupid phone.**

 _Sure. Blame the phone. We both know that that's what you really meant._

 **I did not! Although I wouldn't protest…**

 _There's the Emma Swan I fell in love with. I'll be over in 5 minutes_

* * *

 **How's my wonderfully pregnant girlfriend?**

 _Emma. How did you know?_

 **Whoops, I meant perfect.**

 **Wait, WHAT?**

* * *

 _Love you! Goodnight_

 **My love for you is so strong I would buy you a casket if I could!**

 **Castle. I promise that I meant castle.**

 _Good to know. Although I do already have my own castle._

* * *

 **What are you doing with Henry tonight?**

 _Probably watching Harry Potato_

 _And the Sorcerer's Stove_

 _*Potter *Stone_

 _Harry Potato and the Sorcerer's Stove sounds like the lamest movie ever._

 **You finally had an autocorrect fail! Yes!**

 _One compared to your hundreds_

 **Touché**


	173. Day 173: Shooting Star

"What are you doing out here?" Emma asked, walking into the backyard. "It's cold."

Regina just smiled and pointed up to the stars. "The sky is clear, so it's easy to see the stars."

"I didn't know that you like stargazing," Emma said, standing next to her. "Although I don't blame you. Stars are quite beautiful."

"I used to look at them every night," Regina said. "Hoping to see a shooting star."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because shooting stars are known to grant wishes," Regina said. "And I wished for nothing more than to escape the clutches of my mother."

"Well that happened," Emma said. "So why are you still looking for a shooting star."

"Because I have one wish that I still need granted," Regina said.

"You do?" Emma asked. "What do you still need to wish for? I thought that you had everything that you wanted." She knew. She had made sure to ask.

Regina grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed gently. "You'll see soon enough. If there is a shooting star."

"And what if there isn't?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Then I guess I'll just have to wait."

Emma frowned. She wanted Regina to be happy. "What if I can make that wish come true? Instead of relying on a star to show up?"

Regina smiled at her. "You're a part of the wish. So that could be possible."

"I'm a part of the wish?" Emma asked.

Regina just looked back up at the sky without responding. "Regina!" Emma whined. "Now it's just going to kill me."

Regina looked at her in amusement. "Is it really? It's going to kill you?"

"Possibly," Emma mumbled.

Regina laughed. "It is not going to kill you."

Emma sighed before looking back up at the sky. What was Regina wishing for? They were both happily married, so what else could Regina be wishing for that concerned her?

"It really is bothering you, isn't it?" Regina teased.

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed. "I honestly can't think of anything."

"Well, it has to do with you," Regina said. "And magic. And something that usually isn't possible."

Emma looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Regina chuckled. She looked up at the sky again, and smiled as a shooting star went across the sky.

"There," Emma said. "Now you have to tell me. That was a shooting star. So what's your wish?"

"So impatient," Regina playfully scolded.

"Regina," Emma said. "I swear if you do not tell me, I'll tell Henry that you're hiding something."

Regina laughed. "Point taken."

"So?" Emma asked. "What was your wish?"

"I have some news to tell you," Regina said. "And my wish was that you wouldn't get spooked by it and leave."

Emma's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

Regina took a deep breath before poofing a box into her hand and holding it out for Emma to take. "Look in it."

Emma looked at her in concern before opening the box. She looked in the bottom and gasped. It was pregnancy test. And it was positive.


	174. Day 174: Shadow Puppets

"What's something that you can do that I don't know about?" Emma asked.

Regina laughed. "Well that's random."

"I'm serious," Emma said. "Come on. There has to still be something left that you can do that I don't know about."

"Does that count magical things?" Regina asked. "Because then we'd be here a long time."

Emma shook her head. "Something normal. That people without magic can do."

Regina pursed her lips as she thought. After several moments she started smiling. "Okay. There is something that I can do. I used to do it for Henry all of the time."

Emma looked at her, curious. "Go for it."

Regina chuckled before getting up and walking to the kitchen. Emma waited in confusion. What was Regina doing?

Regina laughed at the confusion on Emma's face as she came back into the room with a flashlight. She shut the lights in the living room off before turning on the flashlight and setting it on the coffee table.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked. "Telling a ghost story?"

"No," Regina said. "Although I am good at those too."

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "Of course you are. Is there anything you're not good at?"

Regina smirked. "Nope."

Emma laughed, getting comfortable on the couch. "So what's this talent that I'm about to see?"

"Don't laugh," Regina warned, and then used her hands to create the shadow of a bunny.

"You can do shadow puppets!" Emma exclaimed. "I've always wanted to do those, but I could never do it. My fingers always got all jumbled up."

Regina smiled before changing her hands to a turtle. "I used to do this for Henry all the time before he went to bed."

Emma smiled at her. "You're a great mother, you know that?"

Regina's smile slightly dropped. She didn't say anything, but changed her hands into the form of a bull.

"Is that supposed to mean bullshit?" Emma teased.

Regina laughed. "No. Although it is a little far-fetched. I wasn't the greatest mother when you first got here."

Emma shrugged. "I was threatening your claim over him. I technically have no legal rights over him. And I just came out of nowhere."

Regina laughed. "That you did." Smiling, she changed her hands to a dog. She chuckled before making the dog bark.

"Let me guess," Emma said, laughing. "That one was Henry's favorite."

Regina nodded. "He's always wanted a dog. I figured a shadow puppet would be enough."

Emma shook her head. "No way. You need the actual thing."

Regina chuckled. "And now, for the grand finale!" She smiled as Emma laughed before moving her hands into the form of a swan.

Emma clapped. "Bravo! That was the best shadow puppet show I've ever seen."

Regina bowed before turning off the flashlight and turning the living room lights back on. She walked over and sat next to Emma again. "So there you have it. My hidden talent."

"How did you learn how to do that?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "I taught myself. I spent a lot of time alone in my room, so I found ways to amuse myself."

"Your room was always dark?" Emma asked.

"Maybe," Regina said.

Emma looked at her knowingly. Regina sighed. "I spent a lot of my time in a closet, with only a candle for light. So I would make shadow puppets to pass the time."

"Well at least now you're out of the closet," Emma teased, nudging her gently.

Regina laughed. "Funny."

"I know," Emma said. "Why did you spend so much time in that closet? Were you hiding?"

"No," Regina said. "That was my punishment spot. So I naturally spent a lot of time there."

"Well at least something good came out of it," Emma said. "You learned how to make some awesome puppets."

Regina smiled. "True."

Emma reached forward and grabbed the flashlight. "Turn off the lights again. I have to tell you my awesome ghost story."

Regina laughed before getting up and turning the lights off. "I doubt you'll actually make me scared."

Emma smirked. "Challenge accepted."


	175. Day 175: Emma's Birthday

**I don't think you guys realize how long I've been waiting for this day. I've had this chapter planned since Day 21. Which is a long time. Enjoy!**

Today was the day that Emma Swan dreaded the most. Her birthday was the day she had come to Storybrooke, which was good. But it also symbolized getting a year older. Which was something Emma had never looked forward to.

As a child in the system, getting a year older meant you were less likely to get adopted. Parents wanted a baby that they could raise. Not an older child who had a rough past. No one wanted to deal with baggage.

Emma had learned quickly that she would never be adopted. At about 10 she realized that she had hit the age where no one ever got adopted.

Granted, she had met Ingrid and had thought that she would be the one to take her in. But then she had been crazy and almost killed Emma by pushing her out in front of a car.

Even as an adult, Emma still hated her birthday. It brought back the feelings of being alone and forgotten. Of being unwanted.

So naturally, no one actually knew when Emma's birthday was. Except for Emma herself.

Snow and David had tried several times to figure out when it was, but with the curse and the stress of that day, they couldn't remember what day Emma was actually born on. They had tried to ask her, but she shut down every time and told them it wasn't important.

Regina had asked shortly after they had gotten married, hoping that her wife status would get her the answer. No such luck.

Henry had tried, but Emma was immune to his puppy dog eyes. She had the same ones.

Regina had tried everything to find out when it was the easy way, but Emma was making things difficult. So, she had taken to the hard way. Finding the original newspaper article that Emma had been featured in as a baby.

It would have helped if August were around to spill the beans about what day it was when he and Emma had arrived in this world. But that wasn't an option.

Regina stood in the sheriff station, Henry keeping lookout. Emma still had the article; she knew that for a fact. But where was it?

"What do I do if she comes back?" Henry asked.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Regina said, pulling Emma's desk drawers open. "But if she comes back, just say that you were waiting for her to talk. And then just make stuff up."

Henry rolled his eyes. "That's very helpful Mom, thank you."

Regina chuckled. "Got it!" She pulled it out of the drawer and smiled at Henry before grabbing his hand and poofing them both back to the mansion.

* * *

"So when is it?" Henry asked, once the purple smoke had cleared away.

Regina looked at the article, her jaw dropping as she saw what day it was. "Her birthday is today."

"Really?" Henry asked. "Well we got lucky. What are we going to do? We don't have time to plan anything."

Regina bit her lip as she thought about it. "Maybe we don't need to plan anything."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"I may not have gotten the date out of her," Regina said. "But I know why she doesn't like her birthday. Getting a year older meant you were less likely to be adopted into a family."

"So what do we do?" Henry asked.

"We're going to make it simple," Regina said. "If we do something too big, she'll get spooked and never want to do anything ever again."

"What if we take her out of town?" Henry suggested. "We had some good times in New York. Maybe if we took her there, she would be happy because of the memories we made. And we could introduce you to New York."

"I like it," Regina said, pulling Henry in for a hug. "Let's go get her."

* * *

"What's going on?" Emma asked as Regina and Henry walked into the station.

"We're kidnapping you," Regina said. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Emma asked. "And why?"

"We're going out of town," Henry said. "It was my idea."

"Why though?" Emma asked.

Regina held up the article that she had stolen from Emma's desk. "Because today is a special day."

Emma's eyes widened and she quickly stood up, snatching the article from Regina. "You stole this from my desk?"

"For a good reason," Regina said. "You wouldn't tell me when you're birthday was, so I had to take extra measures."

Emma turned and put the article back in her desk before sitting back down in her chair. "I'm not going anywhere. I have work to get done."

Regina looked at Henry before motioning for him to leave the office. Henry nodded before leaving and walking into David's office.

Regina sighed before sitting next to Emma's desk. "Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," Emma said, going back to working.

"But there is," Regina argued. "Emma, this is the day you were born. It's a day to celebrate."

"On my birthday, I was put into a wardrobe and sent to a different world," Emma said. "I don't see how that's a day to celebrate."

"Look at me, Emma," Regina commanded gently. Emma paused before looking hesitantly at Regina. "Your birthday is the day you came into the world. Without that day, you would never have existed. I would never have met you, and I can't imagine being in a world where you do not exist."

Emma sighed. "Of course you have to make it all romantic and guilt trip me."

"I'm not guilt tripping you into anything," Regina said, chuckling. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. But I think that you should."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because you have a family who loves you now," Regina said. "There's no more risk of not being adopted. You have a family, and this day needs to be celebrated."

Emma sighed. "Okay. We can go out of town."

* * *

After a day full of sightseeing, Emma was the happiest she had ever been on her birthday. As they drove back to Storybrooke, Emma looked in the rear-view mirror and smiled at Henry fast asleep in the backseat.

"So, was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "No. I actually had fun. Thank you for making me go."

"I didn't make you do anything," Regina said. "I just strongly suggested it."

Emma laughed. "That's basically the same thing."

Regina just smiled. "Happy Birthday."

Emma laughed. "Thank you."

"So does that mean that we can do something for your birthday every year?" Regina asked.

Emma laughed. "Sure. We can do something every year."


	176. Day 176: Code

**This chapter is for -Mills with the prompt: "143 is Emma's code for I love you. Henry knows, but Regina doesn't, so Regina asks Henry what it means." I summarized what you had sent me :)**

Emma smiled as she snuck into the kitchen. She had almost forgotten to put her note in Henry's lunch.

Henry was the only one who knew about Emma's code. She had done it once by mistake when texting him, and he had managed to get it out of her.

While Emma had been in the system, she had learned quickly that the words "I love you" didn't mean anything. No matter who said them to you. She had begun to dread hearing the words, so she had made up her own way of saying them.

I-1

Love-4

You-3

It was simple, and yet it made her feel better about saying it. It was a safe way for her to let Henry know that she loved him, without having to risk actually saying the words.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked, coming into the kitchen.

Emma jumped. She had been so lost in thought that she had forgotten that she was supposed to be putting her note in Henry's lunch bag.

"Almost forgot you note," Emma said, holding it up for him to see.

Henry smiled. Kids may poke fun at him for getting notes in his lunch from his mom, but he loved it anyway. It meant that Emma loved him.

"143," Henry said, giving her a hug.

"143," Emma replied, squeezing him gently. She grabbed his lunch off of the island and handed it to him, not realizing that she had given him Regina's lunch instead. Giving Regina the lunch with the note in it.

* * *

Emma smiled as she answered her phone. "The best girlfriend on the planet speaking, how may I help you?"

Regina laughed. "Well best girlfriend on the planet, you seem to have given our son the wrong lunch. I don't remember ordering a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

Emma's eyes widened. "Crap. I'm sorry. I was distracted."

"It's fine," Regina said, chuckling. "Although I do have a question for you."

"What's that?" Emma asked, picking up her coffee.

"There's a note in here that says '143'," Regina said. "What does that mean?"

Emma froze, dropping her coffee. She cursed and tried to pick up the papers that hadn't gotten the hot liquid on them.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, just spilled coffee all over my desk," Emma said. "Can I call you back later? I need to clean up this mess."

"Sure," Regina said. "I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Regina was very confused, and she knew exactly whom she needed to talk to. "Knock knock," she said, leaning up against Henry's doorframe.

"Hi," Henry said, setting down his pencil. "Any distraction from doing math is welcome."

Regina laughed. "I bet. I actually have a question for you concerning Emma."

"What's up?" Henry asked.

"What does this mean?" Regina asked, holding up the piece of paper with the "143" on it.

Henry's mind blanked. Was it okay if he told his mom about Emma's code? Or did she want it to be kept a secret?

"Henry?" Regina asked. "Is everything okay?"

Henry shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Um, it's a code that Emma and I have. That was meant for my lunch. She gave me the wrong one by accident."

"I know," Regina said. "So what does it mean?"

"It's a secret," Henry said. "I don't know if she'd want you to know or not."

"Hey, dinner's ready," Emma said, joining Regina outside of Henry's room. "What's going on?"

"We were just discussing this," Regina said, holding up the note. "Henry said that this is some kind of secret code that the two of you have."

"Kid, why don't you go set the table," Emma suggested. Henry nodded before leaving and walking downstairs.

"Is it bad?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said quickly. "It's my own way of saying I love you, without having to actually say those words."

"Why 143?" Regina asked.

"It's the number of letters in each word," Emma explained. "I came up with it while I was in the system. Every time that someone said 'I love you', they were always giving me back. They never meant it. So I grew to not like saying them to anyone because it felt fake."

"That's why you came up with 143," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "It's safer."

Regina smiled. "Well, then 143."

Emma smiled and kissed her. "143."


	177. Day 177: Braking

**So TheCyanBandit asked for an angst chapter. Any crying or sadness below is their fault.**

Zelena smiled as she snuck up to Regina's car. This was going to be too easy. Her stupid baby sister had gotten everything, and now it was time for her to take what she wanted. Regina dead.

Of course, there was also the satisfaction of seeing the panic on her face as she sped through town, unable to stop her car. Eventually, she would crash into something. Hopefully something that would kill her.

Sure, she had gained Regina's trust. Too bad she was now going to break it. Zelena laughed. Break it. Brake it.

"Say goodbye, little sis," Zelena said.

"You are not practicing driving in that," Regina said. "That bug is not safe for driving."

"And your car is too expensive," Henry argued.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I can get a new one pretty easily. Please, just drive my car. It would make me feel better."

Henry sighed. "Okay." He got into the driver's seat, waiting impatiently for Emma to get into the passenger next to him.

"Have fun," Regina teased, closing the door for Emma. "Be safe."

"Don't worry," Emma said. "I'll try and make sure he doesn't crash into anything."

"I'm not gonna crash into anything!" Henry protested. "Geez."

Emma and Regina laughed. "Okay kid. Let's get going. I don't want you driving in the dark just yet."

* * *

Regina called Emma's phone for what had to be the 50th time in the last hour. And like every other time, she didn't pick up. Sighing, Regina walked up to their bedroom. She had promised Emma that she would never use a locator spell on her unless it was an emergency. This was an emergency.

The shirt that Regina had chosen rose into the air, leading Regina out of the house and into town. And then it kept going. And going. And going.

"Where are you?" Regina mumbled. As she came around the corner, she gasped. The edge of the dock leading to the ocean was completely destroyed, and the shirt was moving straight towards the destruction.

"No, please no," Regina said, running to the edge of the dock. The shirt landed on the water, slowly sinking to the bottom. She pulled out her phone and called David and Snow, demanding that they get to the dock as soon as possible.

Once she had hung up, Regina reached for the shirt with her magic, hoping to find out how deep the shirt was. Deeper than she had thought.

Gathering her strength, Regina grabbed the car that the shirt was now attached to. She pulled up, hoping that she would have enough strength to pull it all the way out.

"What's going on?" Snow asked, running to Regina's side.

"I don't know," Regina said through clenched teeth.

"Is that your car?" David asked.

Regina nodded. "Emma and Henry were out driving and I had them take my car." She moved the car over the dock before setting it down. All three of them ran over, gasping at the sight of an unconscious Emma and Henry slumped together.

"We need to get them to a hospital right away," Regina said, panicking.

"Regina," Snow said, grabbing her arm. "There's no point in doing that."

"Why?" Regina asked. "We can't just let them stay here, they'll freeze to death!"

David grabbed her other arm, blinking away his tears. "Regina, look at them. They're not breathing."

"That doesn't mean anything," Regina hissed, pulling her arms away from Snow and David. "They're fine. I know it. We just need to get them to the hospital."

"No, they're gone," Snow said, starting to cry. "There's nothing that any doctor would be able to do."

"No," Regina gasped out, opening the door of the car. She reached in and pulled Emma close, reaching out with her other hand to stroke Henry's head. "They're fine. They're going to be fine."

* * *

Regina stood in front of Emma and Henry's graves, tears running down her cheeks. David had done an investigation, and had found out that the brakes in Regina's car had been tampered with.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Zelena said, coming to stand next to her. "It's hard losing someone you care about."

Regina just nodded. She didn't feel like talking to anyone. Especially Zelena.

"Her brakes were cut, right?" Zelena asked.

Regina froze. No one knew that except for herself, Snow, and David. The town had just been told that Regina's car had malfunctioned. How would she know that? Unless…

"Regina, I know you don't feel like talking, but you should," Zelena said. "It might help."

Regina turned slowly to face her before using her magic to choke Zelena. "You did it. Didn't you? You meant to kill me."

Zelena smiled before nodding. "And I don't regret a thing."

"Neither will I," Regina said, squeezing tighter. Zelena's eyes widened until she stopped struggling.

Regina had promised a long time ago that the Evil Queen would never come back. But as she looked down at Zelena's body, she already knew. The Queen had returned.


	178. Day 178: Camping Trip

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Emma convinces Henry and Regina to go camping, where Regina surprises them with her hunting skills."**

"You want to what?" Regina asked, kicking off her heels.

"Go camping," Emma said. "But without magic. We make our own fire, hunt for our own food, everything. We could totally do it."

"And you want to do this because?" Regina asked, walking into the closet. Most of the town didn't know it, but after working on the weekends she loved changing into something more comfortable.

"Because it would be fun," Emma said. "It could be like a family bonding activity!"

Regina chuckled as she walked out of the closet in a light cotton blouse and jeans. "Yes, because we haven't faced enough danger that we're not close enough already."

"This is something that won't require fighting to the death," Emma said. "Or visiting the Underworld. Just a fun trip for us as a family."

Regina sighed. "What does Henry think of this idea?"

"I love it," Henry said, walking into the room. "I've always wanted to go camping anyway. This'll be great."

"Well, I see that you both want to go," Regina said. "So I might as well admit defeat and go with it."

"Really?" Emma asked. "We can go?"

Regina nodded. "Let's get ready to go."

* * *

Emma had been planning this trip for a long time. She even had the spot planned where they would be camping.

"This is a nice spot," Henry said. "Gives a good view of the town."

"It does," Regina agreed.

"All right, we better get the tent set up," Emma said. "Then we can go hunting for dinner."

"That sounds so cool," Henry said excitedly. "We're actually going to go hunting for our own meal."

Emma laughed. "And to think, in the Enchanted Forest that was entirely normal."

Regina nodded. "If you wanted something special that is. There were still farms and such like there are in this world."

The three of them worked together and managed to get the tent up successfully the first time.

"What are we using to hunt?" Henry asked.

"You are using nothing," Regina said. "You are not nearly old enough to be hunting."

"Mom," Henry whined. "I'm a teenager now."

"That doesn't mean you know everything," Regina said. "I said no, but you can still watch Emma and I hunt."

"You're going to hunt?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Of course," Regina said. "I borrowed your mother's bow and arrows. She seemed surprised that I asked for them, but trusted me with them."

"Since when do you know how to shoot?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Like you said, we had to hunt for our food sometimes in the Enchanted Forest."

"But you were a princess," Henry said in confusion. "There were people that hunted for you, wasn't there?"

"There was," Regina agreed. "I mainly just practiced with targets. And I didn't do it very often. But I thought that I'd give it a try."

Emma smiled. "I'm looking forward to seeing you hunt, Your Majesty."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

* * *

"You killed it with one shot!" Henry exclaimed from their hiding place.

Emma's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?"

Regina smiled. "I have a few hidden talents."

"But you said that you only practiced on targets," Emma said.

"Oh I did," Regina said. "But after I mastered still targets, my instructor made me targets that moved like an animal."

"That's awesome," Henry said in awe. "I can't believe that you actually did that."

Regina laughed. "Like I said, I have a few hidden talents."

"What else can you do?" Emma asked. "How many hidden talents do you have?"

"Well if I told you, they wouldn't be hidden," Regina teased. "Come on, we have to get this deer back to our camping site." She walked over and picked up the deer's front half, looking back at Emma and Henry expectantly.

"She is so badass," Henry whispered.

Emma nodded. "We have to find out the rest of these hidden talents."

"Oh yeah we do," Henry said.

"Are you two going to help or not?" Regina asked.

Henry and Emma smiled guiltily before walking over and helping to pick up the deer. They had a whole weekend of camping. Emma and Henry were definitely going to get some more hidden talents out of Regina.


	179. Day 179: Different Views

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Emma and Regina are on a day trip out in the real world when someone harasses them for being a couple. This greatly confuses and upsets Regina, since homophobia didn't exist in the EF."**

After their stressful trip to New York hunting after Gold and Henry, Emma and Regina had decided that they needed another chance to see the city without a huge threat hanging over their heads.

It had taken a lot of convincing on Emma's part to get Regina to go. Regina hated losing her magic, especially when there could be another threat headed for the town.

Eventually though, Emma had played the "I'm your wife so you should do this for me because you love me" card. It worked every time.

Henry had been convinced to stay home, which had been simple enough considering he never really wanted to be too far away from Violet.

And so, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Emma and Regina took a trip to New York.

They were walking down the street hand-in-hand, enjoying the view that New York had to offer. Now that Emma thought about it, New York was actually a beautiful city. Especially with Regina by her side.

But what Emma hadn't accounted for were the judgments of other people. Everyone knew about same-sex relationships. But even though marriages for those couples were now legal, some people still were against them.

As they walked together, some people barely glanced at them. Others stared, but said nothing. And then there was the one person who couldn't keep their mouth shut.

"What do you think you're doing?" a woman said, walking straight up to them.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina asked. "We're walking."

"While doing that," the woman hissed, pointing at their joined hands. "There are young children around. They don't need to see this."

"Don't need to see what?" Regina asked, confused. Why was this woman yelling at her and Emma for walking down the street holding hands?

"Your disgusting view of love," the woman spat. "We don't need young children seeing your ways and thinking that it's okay for them to do it too."

"Love is love," Emma said, squeezing Regina's hand gently. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a lunch reservation to get to."

"We are not done talking," the woman said. "Not until you break contact."

"Oh, but we are done," Regina said, glaring at the woman. "I would like to have a nice lunch with my wife. And you're not going to ruin that." She shoved past the woman, a smirking Emma walking next to her.

* * *

"What was her problem?" Regina asked, picking lightly at her salad. "She was so cruel, and we'd never even met her before."

Emma sighed. "Some people just don't approve of our kind of relationship."

"Why not?" Regina asked.

"They just don't," Emma said. "Usually because of religious views. But mainly because it's different, and people don't like different."

"No one in the Enchanted Forest had a problem with same-sex couples," Regina said. "Everyone accepted everyone."

"That sounds nice," Emma said.

"It was," Regina said. "Everyone was so much happier. And you could love whoever you wanted."

"And then you came to this world," Emma said, chuckling. "How very different."

"Very," Regina agreed. "I guess I just don't understand why people can't let love be love."

"Because they don't have the kind of love that we do," Emma said, reaching across the table to grab her hand. "It seems to me that they're just jealous of what we have. So they have to build themselves up by taking other people down."

"I knew there was a reason I chose this world for the curse," Regina said. "They really don't understand what a happy ending is, do they?"

Emma shook her head. "Most of them don't get one. So they target those who have it."

"I almost feel bad for that woman who stopped us," Regina said, going back to eating.

"Almost?" Emma teased.

Regina nodded. "She interrupted my walk with you. No one gets in the way of the Queen."

Emma laughed. "Damn right they don't."

 **This was actually interesting to write. Obviously I have no problems with same-sex relationships, but it makes me mad when people are against it. And not because it goes against my own views. Gay people are still people, who love and hurt just like straight people. Love is love, and nothing will change that. Rant over :)**


	180. Day 180: Fish

"We need a pet," Emma said.

"We've had this discussion before," Regina said. "We do not need any animal in this house. They are messy and don't do anything but get fur everywhere."

"What if we got a pet that didn't make a mess?" Emma asked. "Then would you agree?"

"Possibly," Regina said. "What kind of pet did you have in mind?"

"What about a fish?" Emma asked. "They don't do anything but live in a bowl. And they're fun to watch too."

"Don't they die quickly?" Regina asked. "I would rather not get Henry's hopes up that he's going to have a pet just to have it die in a couple days."

Emma shrugged. "If you take care of it the right way, they could live for a couple years."

Regina sighed. "Fine. You can get a fish. But if I come home and see anything but a fish, you're dead."

* * *

"Mom really gave you permission for this?" Henry asked.

"Yeah," Emma said. "She said that we could have a pet."

"A pet?" Henry asked. "You didn't specifically tell her that you were going to get a dog?"

Emma smiled guiltily as she led the dog inside. "That's kind of why his name is gonna be a little weird."

"What's his name?" Henry asked.

Emma blushed. "Fish."

"We are not naming the dog Fish," Henry said. "That is the dumbest name that I have ever heard in my entire life."

"That has to be his name," Emma said. "I told your mom that we were going to be getting a fish."

"So the dog has to be named Fish because you bought a dog instead of an actual fish?" Henry asked. "Why don't you just call and tell her that you got a dog?"

"Because then I'll die," Emma said.

"You're going to die anyway," Henry said. "All she has to do is look at the dog and you're toast."

"Thank you for the encouragement," Emma mumbled. She went to say more, but froze as the front door opened. Regina was home.

"What do we do?" Henry whispered.

"Take Fish," Emma said, holding out the leash. Henry grabbed it and pulled Fish into the backyard. Right as the back door closed, Regina walked into the kitchen.

"You're home early," Emma said.

Regina shrugged. "There wasn't much to do at the office, and I wanted to meet this new fish of ours."

"About that," Emma said. "It was hard finding one that I liked, so I had Henry come with me to pick one."

"Okay," Regina said. "And did you pick one?"

Emma nodded. "He's kind of different from normal fish though. Very different."

"What does he do, swim in circles?" Regina asked, chuckling.

"Not quite," Emma said. "Henry, bring Fish in!"

"You named the fish, Fish?" Regina asked. "That seems a little unoriginal."

"We didn't name the fish," Emma said. "Because we don't have a fish."

"What do you mean we don't have a fish?" Regina asked. "You just asked Henry to bring Fish in."

Henry walked into the room, Fish right next to him. "This is Fish."

"You got a dog?" Regina asked, turning to face Emma. "What did I tell you about getting animals that make a huge mess? That's basically the definition of a dog."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "But he was going to be put down, and he is way too sweet of a dog for that. Please."

Regina sighed as she looked at Fish. "Fine. We can keep him. But you have to change his name."

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed. "Wait here. I have a whole list of dog names that I've been planning for a long time."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Of course you have."


	181. Day 181: Fairy Dust

**This chapter is for Quladi with the prompt: "Tinkerbell's fairy dust trail to find Regina's True Love passes through Robin and hits Emma instead. Emma is once again in the Enchanted Forest in the past, but this time she is alone. Her plan to get back is to sit and wait for her wife to rescue her."**

 **This'll be fun!**

Emma officially hated her magic. All she wanted to do was get home, and apologize to her wife. They had gotten into an argument because Tink had managed to let it slip that Regina's True Love was Robin, not Emma. Even though Regina herself had told Emma that they were True Loves.

Using her emotions, Emma's magic had managed to not only send her to the Enchanted Forest, but also back in time. So, she was currently sitting in a booth at the bar, all alone in the corner.

Men had tried several times already to make a move on her, but they had all quickly been shot down. And then Robin himself had walked in.

Instantly, Emma knew what time period that she was in. This was the story that Tink had told her. Tink had used her fairy dust to lead Regina to her True Love, and it had led them to this very bar, and the man with the lion tattoo.

Emma sighed as she looked down at her apple cider. This place had nothing on Regina's.

She really just wanted to get home, but how was she going to do that? Her magic clearly had some other plan for her that didn't include going back anytime soon.

Downing the rest of her cider, Emma stood up. There was no reason that she needed to stay and see the fairy dust come into the bar and go straight to Robin.

Suddenly, a trail of fairy dust came in through the window. Emma mentally cursed. She was too late, and now had to watch Regina see Robin for the first time.

But as the dust came into the bar, Emma could tell that something was off. The dust hovered ever so slightly, as if it was contemplating where it needed to go.

Emma looked at the window and saw the faces of Regina and Tink, both staring intently at the dust trail. They both wanted to know whom it would choose.

The dust went straight to Robin, causing Emma's heart to hurt. Tink had been right. She wasn't Regina's True Love. No matter how much she wanted to be.

But what happened next left Emma speechless. The dust went straight through Robin, and circled around Emma, lighting her up like a Christmas tree. The dust had chosen her. She was Regina's True Love.

Smiling, Emma looked at the window. Tink was gesturing wildly, no doubt trying to convince Regina to walk into the bar and meet her True Love.

But Emma knew something that Tink didn't. Regina was scared on this day, and she would never walk into the bar.

Taking a deep breath, Emma walked out of the bar, startling Tink and Regina. Tink smiled, and Regina just froze.

Emma smiled kindly and walked up to her future wife. "Hello. I saw you outside and just knew that I had to talk to you."

"You did?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "I couldn't let someone that beautiful just stand out here."

Regina blushed and smiled shyly, a look that stole Emma's breath away. This Regina hadn't been hardened yet. This Regina still had hope.

"I have to get going, but you two have a great night!" Tink said. She smiled before turning and walking quickly away, leaving Emma and Regina alone.

"What is your name?" Regina asked.

Emma blanched. Should she use her real name? This could change time completely. Then again, her parents hadn't thought twice about meeting Princess Leia. "Emma. My name is Emma."

"What a pretty name," Regina said.

Emma smiled. "Thank you. Do you think that I could buy you a drink?"

Regina looked in the bar and smiled before nodding. "I'd like that very much."

Emma smiled even bigger and opened the door to the bar, gesturing for Regina to enter. Regina smiled before walking in and looking around. She had never been in a place like this before.

Luckily for her, Emma already knew this. She nudged Regina's shoulder gently and started walking back to the corner that she had been in previously. As they walked past Robin, Emma glanced back at Regina. Regina smiled at her, not even paying any attention to the man she was supposed to love.

They spent the whole night together at the bar, getting to know each other. Eventually Regina confessed to being the queen, and Emma just shrugged it off.

Around dawn, Regina finally decided that she needed to get home. Emma said goodbye to her, and promised to see her very soon. After Regina was out of her sight, Emma let out the breath that she had been holding. She really needed to get home to her own Regina.

She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of sunshine on her face. The Enchanted Forest really was a beautiful place, but she wanted to get home.

"Emma?" Regina asked. "What are you doing?"

Emma jumped and opened her eyes, looking around in confusion. She was back in Storybrooke. How was that possible?

"Emma?" Regina called, waving her hand in front of Emma's face. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Emma said, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Regina asked. "You were just standing here, facing the sky with your eyes closed. Not exactly normal behavior."

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier," Emma said. "I didn't mean to get mad about Robin."

"I can't believe that Tink brought that up," Regina said. "I love you, and nothing will change that. Although there has been a new development. I seem to remember meeting you in a bar...in the

Enchanted Forest."

Emma smiled guiltily. "I may have accidentally traveled back in time to the Enchanted Forest. And met you."

"And made me fall in love with you," Regina said. "You seem to be good at that."

Emma chuckled. "Who knew? I can win you over no matter what time period or world we're in."

Regina laughed. "Although that means that you're my True Love. The fairy dust went to you, not Robin."

"What?" Emma asked, feigning innocence. "I did not notice that!"

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Sure you didn't."

Emma smiled before kissing Regina gently. "I love you. Past, present, and future."


	182. Day 182: Carving Pumpkins

**I am officially halfway done with this story! Crazy right? I never thought that I would actually be able to pull this off, and now look at where we are! Thank you all so much for reading!**

 **Also, some prompts would be greatly appreciated. I'm starting to run out of ideas again.**

"Why are there pumpkins on the island?" Regina asked, walking into the kitchen.

"We're gonna carve them!" Lola said excitedly. "I gonna carve a princess on mine."

"I'm doing a cat," Ava said, holding up a picture for Regina to see. "It's supposed to be black, but I don't know how I'm going to do that with it being carved."

"We'll just pretend that it's a black cat," Emma said, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm doing a skeleton," Henry said. "Something a little harder, but I think that I can do it."

"I'm sure you can," Regina said. "But I'd like us to put newspaper on the island to keep things clean."

"Right," Emma said. "Forgot about that." She waved her hand and magicked newspaper onto the island, much to the wide-eyed delight of Lola.

"Magic!" Lola exclaimed, clapping her little hands.

Regina smiled, wrapping her arms around Lola and squeezing her gently. "Magic."

"I do magic too," Lola said.

"Lucky," Henry mumbled. He cut the top of off his pumpkin, using his hand to pull out the insides.

Ava shrugged. "Magic seems to have a lot of responsibility. I wouldn't want to have to deal with it." She made a face as she reached into her own pumpkin, pulling out the insides.

"Don't forget to take out the seeds," Regina said. "They'll make a very good snack later."

Lola put her hand into her pumpkin, only to quickly withdraw it and make a face. "That's yucky."

Emma laughed. "I know. But Henry and Ava are doing it, like big kids. You can do it too. Unless you're not a big girl?"

"I a big girl!" Lola protested. She reached her hand back into her pumpkin and began pulling out the insides like Henry and Ava.

Emma winked at Regina. Question Lola's abilities to be a "big girl" and you could get her to do anything.

After all of the kids had gotten the pumpkins cleaned out and their seeds put off to the side, Emma and Regina helped them correctly position their pictures on the pumpkin. Henry and Ava began poking holes in the outline, while Regina helped Lola do hers. Which meant that Regina was really doing it.

"Did they have pumpkin carving in the Enchanted Forest?" Henry asked.

Regina shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of. If there was, it was something that only the villagers did. I'm not sure."

"It seems like something royalty would do though," Ava said. "It could be a way for them to show off their talents."

"They'd probably just get someone else to do it for them," Regina pointed out. "Something this messy and time consuming would never have been something that royals would do."

"But it's fun," Ava said.

"Which is exactly why royals would never do it," Regina said, chuckling.

"So what did you do in the Enchanted Forest for Halloween?" Ava asked. "You had to have at least done something."

Regina nodded. "There were balls of course. Usually with masks. It was all very mysterious."

"Did you ever go to one?" Henry asked.

Regina shook her head. "My mother said that those balls were simply a way for princes to get away with taking a princess home that wasn't meant to be his bride. Since there were masks, no one knew who the other was."

"That sounds like a modern day party," Henry mumbled, going back to carving his pumpkin.

"Mommy, work faster," Lola whined. "I wanna see the pretty princess."

Regina smiled before taking the picture off of the pumpkin. "Now your other mother is going to carve this for you."

"It's not done yet?" Lola asked.

"Not yet," Emma said, switching places with Regina. "But don't worry Lo; I'll have this done in no time."

* * *

Once all of the pumpkins had been carved successfully, it was time to put them outside. Each pumpkin got a candle, and was put out on the front porch. Emma and Regina would carve their pumpkins later, when everyone was in bed and it was easier to work.

"They look pretty," Lola said. Thanks to help from Emma and Regina, her pumpkin had turned out good. Henry and Ava's had turned out better than they had expected, especially since they had been left to their own devices.

"Can we carve more?" Ava asked.

Emma laughed. "You usually only make one."

"But it was so much fun," Ava argued.

"And now we have seeds that'll last for a month," Regina said. "One pumpkin each is fine. We'll do other things to celebrate Halloween, I promise."

The Swan-Mills family stood outside, each smiling at the pumpkins on the front porch. This is what family was supposed to be.


	183. Day 183: BBQ

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Emma convinces Regina to try BBQ. At first Regina tries to eat ribs neatly with grace and poise, before deciding to just go for it and not care how messy she gets."**

Emma smiled as Regina walked into Granny's. They had agreed to meet for dinner, as they always, but this time without Henry. Henry was with Snow and David, giving Emma and Regina the chance to have their very first date.

The two women had finally admitted their feelings for each other, even though they had already been close friends for a long time. Apparently everyone else knew they were in love before they did.

"Hey there," Regina said, sitting across from Emma.

"Hey," Emma said. "I already ordered. I pretty much know what you always eat by now."

Regina smiled. "I would think so, considering we do this everyday."

"Not exactly this," Emma said. "Usually there's other people with us. Now it's just you and me. And I kind of like it better that way."

Regina nodded. "Agreed. Very much agreed."

* * *

After about half an hour of small talk, the food came. Regina smiled as the salad was put in front of her. Emma did know her well.

"Told you," Emma said, smiling at Regina's reaction. "I know you and your meal choices."

"And I know yours," Regina said, looking pointedly at Emma's plate.

Emma smiled sheepishly as she picked up one of her ribs. "You know, you could try it." She waved the rib back and forth, laughing at the look on Regina's face.

"You actually think I would eat that?" Regina asked. "You are crazy. There is no way that I am putting something that unhealthy in my mouth."

"Come on," Emma said. "Just take a bite of it. I can guarantee that it's not as bad as you think it is."

Regina looked at Emma skeptically before reaching out and taking the rib from her. "How do you even eat this?"

"You eat the meat around the bone," Emma said.

Regina eyed the rib before delicately chewing off a small piece. "That's not bad," she said, after she had swallowed.

Emma raised her eyebrows as Regina took another little bite. "Eating it like that is going to take you forever. And you look weird. You can't eat ribs delicately."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Regina asked. "I already am."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I know you are, but that's not how you're supposed to do it. You're supposed to just dig in and get messy."

"As if," Regina scoffed. "I am a queen and a bit more refined."

"So drop being a queen right now," Emma said. "Just be a person. There's no one here that's going to judge you."

Regina sighed before bringing the rib back up to her mouth, taking a larger bite. Emma smiled as Regina sheepishly wiped the BBQ sauce from her lips.

"Well?" Emma asked. "Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"

Regina rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "No, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

Emma smiled before continuing to eat. "Glad you enjoyed it. Now eat your salad."

Regina laughed before wiping off her hands and picking up her fork. "For once, I'm sad that I'm eating a salad."


	184. Day 184: Ava's First Date

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Ava's first date." Please leave more prompts you guys!**

"Where are you going?" Regina asked as Ava tried to sneak past her.

Ava froze. "Just going out with some friends."

"Where to?" Emma asked. "You seem to be wearing pretty dressy clothes just for hanging out with some friends."

"We're going to a party," Ava said. "Is it a crime for me to want to look nice?"

"You've gone to plenty of parties before without being dressed up," Regina pointed out. "What's making this party different?"

"Nothing," Ava mumbled. "Can I just go now?"

"There's no party tonight," Henry said, smirking.

Ava glared at her brother. "Yes there is. You just weren't invited."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. Nice try. There is no party tonight. You just don't want them to know what you're really doing."

"Ava?" Regina asked. "What's going on? Where are you really going?"

Ava sighed. "I'm going on a date."

"A what?" Emma asked. "You are 14! You do not need to be going on dates until you're at least 18."

"18?" Ava asked. "Are you crazy? That's way too long."

"16 then," Emma said. "But definitely not 14. You're too young to actually know what love is. Going on a date at your age is-"

"Wonderful," Regina interrupted. "It will let you experience what it's like to be in a relationship so when you're older, you know what you're looking for."

Ava smiled. "Thanks Mom. Ma, I promise that I'll be safe. He's a nice guy, I promise. We're just going to see a movie. Nothing else."

Emma sighed. "Fine. You can go on the date."

"Thank you!" Ava exclaimed, hugging her mothers. "I promise that I'll be home before 10."

* * *

"Emma, will you please just relax?" Regina asked. "It's only 9:30. She has half an hour to get home."

"The movie started at 7," Emma said. "They should be home by now."

"Maybe they took a slight detour to Granny's," Regina said. It's not that big of a deal. It's their first date, let them enjoy it and determine if they want to go one another one."

"One is enough," Emma said, looking anxiously at the front door.

Just as Regina was going to physically pull Emma onto the couch next to her, the front door opened. A smiling Ava walked in, a hand to her lips.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Regina asked, smiling.

Ava giggled before nodding. "I know that you said that I wouldn't know what love felt like, but I really do like him."

Emma smiled before pulling her in for a hug. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Ava smiled. "Thanks Ma."

"And if he breaks your heart, I'll break his face," Emma teased.

Ava and Regina laughed. "I don't doubt that at all," Ava said.


	185. Day 185: The Bet

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad with the prompt: "Regina and Emma make a bet to see if they can go a week without using magic. Terms of the bet and the reward/consequence of winning or losing are up to you."**

"Let's make a bet," Emma said.

"What for?" Regina asked. "We are not betting on how long it takes for Hook to make a move on you again, if that's what you had in mind."

Emma laughed. "Not at all. This is just between you and me."

"Okay," Regina said. "So what is this bet?"

"I bet that you can't resist the temptation to use magic for a week," Emma said, smirking at her.

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? I bet you can't either."

"So let's do it this way," Emma said. "Both of us have to resist using magic. If you use magic first, you have to drive my bug for a week."

"And if you use magic first, you have to make dinner for a week," Regina said.

"Isn't that punishing all of us?" Emma asked.

Regina laughed. "Don't even pretend that you're bad at cooking. We both know that you only pretend that you can't to get out of it."

Emma smiled guiltily. "You got me there."

Regina just smirked before sticking out her hand. "So, do we have a bet?"

Emma smiled before grabbing Regina's hand and shaking it. "We have ourselves a bet."

* * *

Not using magic ended up being harder than both women had anticipated. Things that normally took very little time took them both twice as long.

By about the third day, both of them were ready to give up. But Emma didn't want to cook, and Regina sure as hell did not want to drive the bug. So, both of them were stuck.

Emma had thought that she had come up with the perfect loophole, which was to have someone force her to use magic. But everyone in town knew that Regina would push that excuse away and still win.

By day six, Emma had had enough. There was no way that she was going to get any more work done if she didn't use some magic.

Cooking for a week wouldn't be that bad, would it? She could just make crappy food and have Regina cave and let her off of the hook.

Smiling, Emma decided that that's what she would do. She waved her hand, sighing in relief as the last piece of paper settled into its correct pile; completed.

"You used magic," Regina said, smirking.

Emma jumped. "How did you know that? I literally just used it!"

"I have my ways," Regina said. "Now then, what are we having for dinner?"

 **Sorry this was so short!**


	186. Day 186: Allergies

Henry laughed as he walked into Emma's house. "This place is a mess."

Emma shrugged. "I know. But I hardly ever stay here. I'm usually spending most of my time with you and your mom."

"True," Henry said, walking into the kitchen. "What's going on in here? It looks like something blew up."

"I was baking," Emma said. "I just forgot that we were going to spend the day together. I'll clean it up, no problem."

Henry laughed. "I'll help." He grabbed a washcloth, getting it wet and starting to wipe down the counter.

"Thank you," Emma said. She started to put ingredients away, not noticing when Henry got peanut butter on his finger, licking it off without a second thought. "Do you think that your mom would be fine with just cookies for dinner?"

Henry brought his hand up to his throat, eyes widening in panic as he felt it begin to swell shut. He started gasping for breath, hitting his hand frantically on the counter to get Emma's attention.

Emma turned to him in confusion, but quickly gasped and ran over to him. "Henry? What's going on?"

Henry tried to speak, but nothing came out. Emma frantically grabbed her phone and dialed 911. She quickly informed the dispatcher of where they were, before turning her attention back to Henry.

He didn't know she was paying attention to him though. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Emma paced back and forth in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for what the doctors would say. She knew logically that Henry would be fine, but how could she have been so stupid?

"Emma!" Regina called, walking quickly into the waiting room.

"Hi," Emma mumbled, continuing her pacing. "We might be here for awhile."

Regina reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a hug. "It's all going to be fine. The doctors know what they're doing."

"I'm such a terrible mother," Emma mumbled into Regina's neck. "How could I not have known that he was allergic to peanut butter?"

"We've never discussed it," Regina said soothingly. "I don't blame you, and I'm sure that Henry won't either. Everything is going to be fine."

"Is it?" Emma asked. "What if he was missing oxygen for too long? He could have permanent brain damage!"

"The paramedics got there only a couple minutes after he collapsed," Regina said. "I'm sure that no permanent damage was done."

"But what if there was?" Emma asked. "If he has some kind of permanent injury because of this, I will never be able to forgive myself. Anything bad that happens because of this is my fault. All my fault. Oh my god what have I done?"

"Hey, hey, take it easy," Regina said gently, rubbing her hand up and down Emma's back. "Take some deep breaths. You are not a terrible mother. Everyone makes mistakes, and this was just one of yours."

"Some mistake," Emma scoffed. "He could die because of me!"

Regina pulled away slightly, tilting Emma's head towards hers and wiping the tears gently from Emma's cheeks. "He is not going to die. He's going to be fine, and tease you for a long time about the time that he tried to help you clean your messy kitchen and spent the rest of the day in the hospital."

Emma smiled. "That sounds like Henry."

"It does," Whale said, walking into the waiting room.

"Jeez, way to sneak up on us," Emma said, pulling completely out of Regina's embrace.

Whale shrugged. "Henry is fine, and is awake. He needs his rest, but you can see him. If you want to stay with him until he falls asleep, I won't stop you. But you will need to leave overnight."

"He's staying overnight?" Emma asked, panic starting to creep into her voice.

"Just for observation," Whale assured her quickly. "He'll be able to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Can we see him?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Whale said. "Follow me."

* * *

"Ma, I really am fine," Henry protested. "You don't need to keep hovering."

"Are you sure you're fine?" Emma asked. "You look kind of pale. Maybe I should call a nurse for you."

"Mom, tame your girlfriend," Henry groaned.

Regina chuckled. She grabbed Emma's hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on. We need to go home anyway. We're not allowed to stay overnight, remember?"

Emma went to pull away. "But-"

"But nothing," Regina said strongly, pulling Emma with her. "Let him rest in peace."

"Rest in peace?" Emma asked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh my goodness."

 **Thank you all for the prompts! I'll be starting on them tomorrow :)**


	187. Day 187: Best Friend

**This chapter is for ShipperFan with the prompt: "Regina becomes a toddler for some reason and her daughter about the same age becomes her new best friend and in the end when Regina gets turned back her daughter asks where her best friend is."**

Emma was panicking. She could barely control one toddler, but now she had two. Thank goodness Ava and Henry were at school, or she would never have heard the end of this.

Emma had been trying to get out of Regina what her memories were as a toddler, but Regina hadn't budged. Eventually, Emma had said that she would just turn Regina into a toddler. Then she would get her answers.

Only Emma hadn't really expected to spell to work. And it did. Leaving her with not only a 3-year-old Lola, but also a 3-year-old Regina.

Lola was more than happy to have a friend to play with. Since Ava and Henry were so much older than she was, they were never really home for her to play with. Now she had her own friend!

Unfortunately, little Regina had no interest in playing. Even at the young age of 3, Regina already seemed brainwashed into thinking that unless she was a perfect lady all the time, she would surely be punished.

Lola, however, had the combined genes of Emma and Regina. Which basically meant that when she wanted something, she never gave up until she got it. And what she wanted was to play with Regina.

"You can be the doggie," Lola said, placing her stuffed dog in front of Regina.

Regina looked at the dog like it would suddenly turn to life and bite her. Knowing Cora, it wouldn't have surprised Emma if it would have.

"His name is Patches," Lola said. "And this is Honey." She held up her golden colored cat for Regina to see.

Regina looked a little less skeptical. Lola seemed nice. After all, other little girls who had stuffed dogs and cats had to be nice. Right?

"They don't bite," Lola said. "Let's play!"

Regina watched with wide-eyes as Lola quickly got to her feet and ran away, happily carrying Honey with her.

"Whatsa matter?" Lola asked.

"Ladies don't run," Regina said. "It is not proper. And you could tear your clothing."

Lola giggled. "You talk funny."

"I do not," Regina protested. "I talk just like how Mother taught me too."

Emma winced. Cora had already mentally abused Regina, and she was only 3. What else had Cora done already that would haunt Regina forever?

"What's your name?" Lola asked.

"Regina," Regina said, curtseying. "And you are?"

Lola stared at her before bursting out laughing. She turned to Emma, still laughing. "Ma, she curtseyed to me!"

"She did," Emma said, carefully watching Regina. It seemed as if Lola had completely missed the fact that a younger version of her mother was in front of her.

Regina just looked confused. "Aren't ladies supposed to curtsey to those they meet?"

"A simple handshake would have been fine," Lola said. "No need to be so formal."

Regina looked even more confused. "But Mother-"

"Isn't here," Emma interrupted. "You can act however you want while you're here. Maybe you could even tell us what your home is like."

"Well I'm a princess," Regina said. "My Daddy is very kind. Mother is as kind as she can be. Or as kind as I deserve." She shuddered, causing Emma's heart to ache.

"Is your mommy not nice?" Lola asked.

Regina hesitantly shook her head. "She uses magic to punish me when I'm bad."

"Ma has magic," Lola said, smiling at Emma.

"You do?" Regina asked, backing quickly away from Emma.

"Not to hurt anyone," Emma said quickly, holding up her hands in surrender. "I only use it for good purposes."

"Enough talking, let's play," Lola said impatiently, grabbing Regina's hand. Regina didn't even protest as Lola dragged her off to the playroom.

* * *

After a full day of playing, Ava and Henry finally came home. Emma had no idea how she was going to explain to them where Regina was, but she had no doubt that they would understand. Maybe they would even try to help.

"Ma!" Lola called. "My new friend is missing!"

Emma stomach dropped. Regina was missing? "Are you sure? Were you just playing hide and seek and she found a really good spot?"

Lola shook her head. "We were having a tea party and she suddenly disappeared!"

"What's going on?" Regina asked, walking into the room while rubbing her eyes. She had just had the weirdest dream about becoming a toddler version of herself and playing with Lola. How she had ended up being upstairs sleeping she had no idea, but she had just brushed it off.

"My new best friend is missing," Lola said with a pout. "She just disappeared, right in the middle of our tea party!"

Regina's eyes widened as she looked at Emma. That hadn't been a dream.

"She must have magic like you," Emma said. "She may not know how to control it yet, so she disappears randomly. You'll see her again someday."

"Yeah," Regina said, scooping Lola up. "You may even see her sooner than you think."

 **So I have an all day music thing tomorrow, so tomorrow's chapter will be posted on Saturday. Sorry!**


	188. Day 188: New Addition

**Hello lovelies! I've missed you all! I'm assuming you missed me, I mean, how could you not?**

 **Anywho, when I first started writing this story, I wrote about things that I wished would happen to me. I wished that someone would send me autocorrect fails to make me smile, or tell me how much they love me. And ironically, just that happened.**

 **Once those things started happening to me and I fell in love, I kind of lost my muse. However, I've gotten it back and now any really fluffy things that don't have to do with the actual plot of the show are things that have been done to me in my love life.**

 **Bet that was more than you wanted to know, but I thought I owed you all an explanation about why I suddenly took a leave of absence.**

 **So, without further ado, this chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "The birth of Emma and Regina's first grandchild" and MetanoiaAm with the prompt: "Henry has a baby with Violet. The Swan-Mills family goes to the hospital to meet their newest member."**

 **Thought I would kill two birds with one stone. Enjoy!**

"How long has it been?" Ava asked.

"Five minutes since you asked the last time," Lola snapped. "And you say I'm the one who doesn't have any patience."

Emma chuckled. "Relax Ava, we're all anxious. But there's really nothing that we can do now but sit here and wait."

"Why does having a baby take so long?" Lola asked.

"Good question," Regina mumbled.

Emma smiled. "Not every baby takes this long. Sometimes the baby decides it's ready to come into the world, and other times it wants to stay in its mommy a little longer."

"Does it hurt?" Ava asked. "I've heard lots of girls at school talking about how having a baby hurts really bad."

Emma and Regina shared a glance. Both of them had been through labor once, and once had been enough. They both loved each of the children that had come from that pain, but how could they explain that?

Luckily, they didn't have to. At that moment, a shocked looking Henry walked into the waiting room; a dazed look on his face.

Everyone in the waiting room jumped to their feet, all of them anxious to hear what was going on. Violet's water had broken in the middle of the night, causing everyone to be taken from their beds. It had already been 12 hours.

"Well?" Regina asked. "Is everything okay?"

Henry just nodded, still looking around in shock. Emma and Regina shared a concerned glance. Something wasn't right.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, reaching out to squeeze Henry's arm gently.

Henry just looked at Emma for several moments before releasing the breath that he had been holding. "I'm a father."

The whole waiting room sighed in relief. By the look on Henry's face, they had expected to hear that some sort of complication had happened and he had been forced to leave the room.

"And I'm an aunt!" Lola said excitedly, hugging her brother. "Can we go see Violet and the new baby? Please?"

"We have been sitting out here for an awfully long time," Ava said.

Henry smiled. His sisters never failed to relieve the tension in a room. "Sure. I'm sure Violet would love to see you."

"And us too," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand.

"Of course," Henry said. "The party wouldn't be complete without everyone there."

* * *

After little baby Sean had been passed around the room to everyone, he fell asleep in his mother's arms.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked Violet.

Violet shrugged. "About as well as someone can after being in labor for several painful hours. But he's worth it."

Everyone in the room smiled as Sean gave a little yawn. Emma and Regina could both remember the days when they had held a baby in their arms after long hours of labor. For Emma it had been a fake memory, but it was still there all the same.

"You're going to be one spoiled baby," Lola said to Sean, lightly stroking his cheek.

"Says you," Henry teased. "You were pretty much as spoiled as it gets."

Emma and Regina smiled guiltily. It was true.

"Come on girls, let's go home," Regina said. "I'm sure Violet would like some rest, and there are a lot of other people who would like to see the new family."

"Not a new family," Henry corrected her gently. "Just an addition to the current one."


	189. Day 189: Snowballs

**This chapter is for Lanafan7141977 with the prompt: "Family snowball fight"**

"Lola, wait one minute!" Regina scolded, jogging over and snatching up the 6 year old. "You can't go outside without your snow clothes."

"But I don't wanna wear my snow clothes," Lola whined, squirming in Regina's arms.

Regina sighed before setting her down. "I know. But that's the only way that you're going to be allowed to go outside."

Lola stomped her little foot and crossed her arms. "No."

"What is she protesting?" Emma asked, walking into the room with her full snow gear on. Henry and Ava followed behind her, both also dressed for the cold. They looked like marshmallows, but they would be warm.

"I don't wanna wear my snow clothes," Lola said stubbornly.

"We're all doing it," Henry said, gesturing to the rest of the family. Even Regina had caved in and dressed to play in the snow.

"I'll be different," Lola said, nodding in satisfaction. "Now let's go play."

"No can do," Emma said, scooping her up. "Let's go get you some snow clothes."

Ava laughed as Lola started throwing a temper tantrum in Emma's arms, but Emma ignored her. It was snow clothes or no snow.

* * *

After several minutes of wrestling with Lola, Emma finally managed to get her completely dressed and ready to go.

"Well, don't you look adorable," Regina cooed as Lola walked into the kitchen. "Like a little pink marshmallow."

Lola huffed before walking towards the back door. "Let's just go play now."

Emma put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as she opened the back door, allowing Lola to run outside and join her siblings in their building of a snowman.

"You would think by now that they would have learned not to do that," Regina said.

Emma nodded. Every year, Lola always became super attached to whatever snowman Henry and Ava managed to make. Once the snow started to melt and it was time to say goodbye to Mr. Snowman, Lola always had an emotional breakdown.

"Mommy, Ma, look!" Lola exclaimed, gaining her mothers' attention. "I'm making a snow angel!"

Emma and Regina laughed. She was actually making a giant blob, but it was the thought that counted.

Regina smiled and walked over to where Lola was lying in the snow. "That is a beautiful snow angel."

"You should make one too," Henry suggested. "Just saying."

Regina rolled her eyes. "We all know that I don't like getting myself wet from all of the snow. Certainly not from rolling around in it."

"What if it's thrown at you?" Ava asked.

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Why would someone throw-"

She was cut off as she felt something hard hit her back. She turned around to see Emma, smiling goofily and holding another snowball.

"You just threw snow at me," Regina said.

"I did," Emma said, chuckling. "And I'm about to do it again, so you might want to start running."

Regina's eyes widened before she ran towards one of her trees and hid behind it. "I'm on Ma's team!" Henry shouted, running to Emma's side.

"Traitor!" Ava called after him. She got off of the ground and ran to Regina, who was still hiding behind the tree.

Lola looked back and forth in confusion before shrugging and lying back down in the snow. She had a snow angel to make.

Ava and Henry began making snowballs while Emma and Regina stretched and prepared for the upcoming war.

"You guys ready?" Emma called.

"Only if you are," Regina called back. "Ready to lose, that is."

Emma laughed before taking some snowballs from Henry. "Game on."


	190. Day 190: Future Flashing

**This chapter is for Archiving FF with the prompt: "One of them has a seizure and the other 'freaks out' and doesn't know what to do". Enjoy!**

Emma had a bad feeling. Something wasn't right, and she knew it. A sense of dread kept following her around, even though things in town had calmed down. Henry was back in his normal body and safe from Pan, and was happily living with Regina.

Regina. Thinking about her sent another feeling through Emma. Only this one was pleasant. She had come to terms with her love for the former Evil Queen, even if it was something that she hadn't been expecting.

Then again, it had taken her almost dying for Emma to realize her feelings. How very romantic.

Emma shuddered, as the bad feeling in her got stronger. What was going on? Maybe something with Pan had happened again. He was supposed to be gone, but you never knew with villains.

Since the last person that Pan had targeted had been Henry, Emma decided to check on him first. And if he wasn't the one in danger, she had no doubt he would help find whoever it was.

As Emma walked up to the front door of the mansion, the bad feeling in her grew to an almost unbearable weight. There had to be something wrong with Henry.

Emma knocked for several seconds without stopping before the door opened, revealing a very annoyed Regina. "Is there a reason you're knocking at my door?" she asked.

"Where's Henry?" Emma asked. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Regina said. "Just upstairs getting some homework done. What's going on?"

"I need to see him," Emma said anxiously. "Something's not right, and I keep having a really bad feeling about something."

Regina sighed before stepping to the side, letting Emma into the mansion. She figured that once Emma saw how fine Henry was, she would be on her way.

"Thank you," Emma said gratefully before practically running up to Henry's room.

Regina shook her head before following Emma upstairs. Henry was doing homework, that was the only "danger" that he was in. What was Emma so worried about?

Regina rubbed her temples as she climbed the stairs. She could still feel the pads that Greg had put on her. As far as she was concerned, Pan had been a cupcake compared to Greg.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, walking out of Henry's room.

Regina dropped her hands to her side and smiled. "I'm fine."

Emma looked at her skeptically. Seeing Henry had eased her mind, but the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was still there. Something was still wrong.

"Why are you staring at me?" Regina asked.

"Because you're faking to be fine," Emma said. "Are you feeling okay? Greg did a number on you."

"He did," Regina agreed. "But I'm fine."

Emma nodded and went to walk away. But just as she took a step forward, Regina eyes rolled to the back of her head and she hit the ground.

Emma froze, watching as Regina's body began bucking. "Henry!" she screamed. "Call an ambulance!"

"Why?" Henry asked, opening his door. Upon seeing Regina, he grew pale and ran quickly back into his room to grab his phone.

Emma grabbed Regina's shoulder and rolled her onto her side. This was why the bad feeling in her hadn't gone away. Regina was the cause of her bad feeling.

"Stop it, please," Emma begged Regina's seizing form. "I can't lose you, please. Please stop."

The seizure ended, but Regina remained unconscious. "I called the ambulance," Henry said.

"Good," Emma said. "Now I guess we just wait."

Regina's eyes fluttered open and she looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You had a seizure," Emma said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Regina's ear. "Just stay right there. An ambulance is on its way."

Regina tensed. "No hospitals."

"Henry, go wait downstairs for the ambulance," Emma said. Henry obediently walked downstairs, looking out the window.

"No hospitals," Regina repeated.

"Yes hospitals," Emma said firmly. "You just had a seizure. A major one. I'm not just going to let you keep walking around like everything is fine."

"I am fine," Regina said, rolling onto her back. "Just have a headache, which some Tylenol can fix."

Emma shook her head. "You're going to the hospital."

Regina sighed. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

"You'll have to forgive me," Emma snapped. "I just had to watch someone that I care a lot about collapse to the floor and have a seizure while I had to sit by and do nothing. You're going to the hospital."

Regina reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing it gently. "Okay."

* * *

"How long does it take to check someone over?" Emma asked as she paced back and forth in the waiting room.

"It's only been 5 minutes," Henry said.

"And?" Emma asked. Henry just rolled his eyes.

"She's fine," Whale said, walking into the waiting room. "She just needs to rest, and we're going to monitor her overnight."

"So she's fine, but you still need to monitor her?" Emma asked.

"Just to be safe," Whale said. "My guess is that this is a one time thing caused by the stress of what Greg did to her. She should be fine."

"Should be?" Emma asked. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."

Whale sighed. "She's going to be fine, Emma."

"I'll be the judge of that," Emma said, going to walk past him.

Whale grabbed her arm. "I want her resting. You can see her tomorrow morning when we release her."

"I'm seeing her now," Emma said strongly.

"Emma, she needs to rest," Whale said. "I'm the doctor here."

"And I'm the Savior," Emma countered. "Who happens to have magic." Before Whale could say anything more, Emma poofed herself to Regina's side.

* * *

"Emma," Regina said in surprise. "What are you doing in here?"

"Seeing you," Emma said, waving her hand to lock the door. At Regina's curious look, she smiled guiltily. "I'm not supposed to be."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course you're not. And yet here you are."

"I needed to see you," Emma said, sitting on Regina's hospital bed. "You just collapsed. Right in front of me. And it scared me so much. I can't lose you."

Regina reached forward and grabbed Emma's hand. "I'm fine now. I promise."

"I saw everything flash before my eyes," Emma whispered. "All of our lunches together that would never happen again. Our game nights with Henry. Everything would be over."

Regina looked at her in shock. "Emma-"

"I love you," Emma said. "That's why I was so scared today. I saw our future together flashing before my eyes, and I didn't want it to not be a reality."

Regina leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I don't want it not to be a reality either."

Emma smiled. "Then let's get you out of here."


	191. Day 191: Puppet Show

**This chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Swan-Mills kids put on a show for their mothers."**

It was quiet in the Swan-Mills house. Too quiet. "Something's up," Emma said, flipping to the next page in the newspaper she was reading. "It's too quiet."

"Just enjoy it while it lasts," Regina said. She was lying with her feet in Emma's lap, reading through one of her mother's old spell books. Hopefully if she memorized it, she would be more help with future villain invasions.

"Guess it didn't last very long," Emma said, hearing footsteps coming quickly down the hallway.

The door opened to reveal Lola, smiling proudly. "Your presence is required in the living room."

"What did you do?" Regina asked.

"Nothing!" Lola exclaimed. "But you have to come see what _we_ did." Before Emma or Regina could say anything, Lola ran from the room and back to the living room.

Emma and Regina shared a glance before sighing. Living with 3 children was never dull, that was for sure.

* * *

As they walked into the living room, Emma and Regina noted with confusion that there seemed to be a fort of some kind right in the center of a large seating area. What was going on?

"Have a seat," Ava said. "The show will be starting shortly."

"Show?" Emma whispered. "What?"

Regina shrugged. "Just go with it." She sat down on the couch, Emma joining her.

Suddenly, a puppy puppet popped up. "Once upon a time, there lived a lonely puppy," Ava said. "The puppy had a family once, but she had lost her mate and she had given her own puppy away."

A finger puppet puppy popped up. "But the little puppy wanted to meet his mother. So he ran away from home and found her, convincing her to come with him."

The two puppies "walked" side by side to the other side of the stage, where a second large puppy popped up. "The little puppy wanted both of his mothers to like each other, and in time they did."

"They went through good times, and bad times," Henry said. "But they were a family, and they loved each other no matter what."

"Time passed, and the two mommy puppies had a puppy together," Lola said. A second little puppy popped up onto the stage. "They were a happy family, and the new little puppy was spoiled beyond belief."

Emma and Regina laughed before sharing a glance. This story sounded oddly familiar.

"And then one day, the two mommy puppies took a trip out of town," Henry said. "And on their trip, they met another little puppy who needed a home, but didn't have anyone who wanted her."

A third little puppy popped up, looking sad and rejected. The two big puppies "walked" over to it and nuzzled it, making it happy.

"The two mommy puppies took the little puppy home with them," Ava said. "Now they were a big, happy, family. And they lived happily ever after."

"The end!" Henry, Ava, and Lola said at the same time.

Emma and Regina clapped, both feeling slightly choked up. The three kids came out from behind their makeshift stage, bowing dramatically.

"So, what'd you think?" Ava asked. "It was Henry's idea to do a show of some kind, I made the script, and Lola chose what puppets to use."

"I think," Emma said, standing up. "That I am the luckiest mother in the whole wide world. Because I have some pretty darn good puppies in my life."

All three of them smiled before hugging her tightly. Regina smiled before getting off of the couch and joining in on the hug. It was true. The puppy family did live happily ever after.


	192. Day 192: Sending Selfies

**So, this is the first chapter based off of something in my life. My sweetheart and I send selfies to each other everyday, ending the night with seeing each other one last time. I know, we're cute :) Enjoy!**

No one knew about Emma and Regina's relationship. And it was killing Regina. She wanted to be able to shout from the town clock for the entire town to hear that she loved Emma Swan.

But she couldn't. Snow and David had no idea that they were even talking to each other, let alone dating. Secretly.

They had found a way to be with each other at night without actually being there. Once Emma had convinced Regina that a cell phone was actually necessary, she had showed her the art of taking a selfie. In no time at all, they were sending them all the time.

But Regina's favorites were the ones they sent right before they both went to sleep each night. She would lie on her side, and Emma would lie on hers, and they would both send a selfie to the other.

It was like they were lying by each other. And that was all that Regina needed to make her happy.

She smiled as her phone went off, indicating that a text had come through. She and Emma were both at work, but it didn't matter. Sometimes all you needed was to see the person you loved to get through your day.

The selfie was of Emma in the middle of eating her breakfast of her typical bearclaw. Regina smiled at the picture before taking one of her own.

Emma sent one back with a pout of her face, captioned with "I hate paperwork". Regina smiled and went to take her own selfie to send back when the door opened.

"What are you doing?" Snow asked. "Why are you smiling at your phone like that?"

"There was something funny on there," Regina said, setting it down. "Is there a reason that you walked into my office uninvited?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Emma," Snow said. "She's been different lately. Sleeping less, smiling all of the time. We think she might be in love."

"Really?" Regina asked, feigning innocence. "And why would I care?"

"Because she's not going to tell us who it is," Snow said. "But she'll tell you. You're pretty close friends, right?"

Regina nodded, jumping as her phone went off. She forgot that Emma got impatient when she didn't send a selfie back within several seconds.

"Why is Emma texting you to hurry up and send a picture before she just comes over and takes it herself?" Snow asked. "Take a picture of what?"

Regina thought quickly to find something to cover this up that would be believable. "I need to send her a picture of my paperwork. So she knows how I want it done."

"Oh," Snow said. "Sorry for getting in your way. We can talk another time."

Regina sighed in relief as Snow closed the door behind her. And then she sent Emma a selfie.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Snow asked, walking into Emma's room.

"Jeez!" Emma exclaimed, dropping her phone onto her bed. "I know I don't have a door, but at least knock on the wall or something before you start speaking."

Snow smiled. "Sorry."

"I was taking a picture," Emma said.

"Of what?" Snow asked.

"My face," Emma said. "It's called a selfie. It's a way for people to see each other without actually being in the same place."

"Interesting," Snow said. "I saw Regina doing the same thing this morning." She went to go back downstairs before freezing. This was a town of fairytale characters. No one knew what a selfie was except for Henry and Emma. And whom did Henry and Emma spend a lot of time around?

"Are you and Regina sending pictures to each other?" Snow asked, turning to face Emma.

Emma looked like a deer in headlights. "I, um…"

"You are!" Snow exclaimed. "She's who you've been staying up late talking to. She's why you're so happy all of a sudden. You're in love with Regina."

Emma nodded. "Very much so."

Snow smiled. "And she loves you too. That's wonderful."

Emma looked at her in surprise. "It is?"

"Of course," Snow said. "All I want is for you to be happy. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. And I'd say that you're pretty happy right now."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, you could say that."

"You know, we could mess with her," Snow said. "And also tell her that I'm okay with your relationship."

"What did you have in mind?" Emma asked.

Snow just smiled. "Let's take a selfie."


	193. Day 193: Quizzes

**Another chapter based off of my love life. We spent several days making quizzes about us and sent them to the other to guess. Both of us have yet to get 100%. Whoops.**

"So I have a game for us to play," Emma said, plopping down on the couch next to Regina.

"Is this going to be like the last game we played?" Regina asked. "Because that didn't end very well. For either of us."

Emma laughed. She had tried to play Twister with Regina. Regina hadn't been a fan. At all.

"I'm dead serious," Regina said, hitting Emma playfully. "I love you, but I do not want my face by your butt again."

Emma burst out laughing. "I promise that this game isn't like that. It's very low-key, but competitive."

Regina sighed. "Fine. We can play this game. Whatever it is."

"You're going to need your phone," Emma said, holding up her own.

Regina looked at her skeptically before pulling out her phone. "What does my phone have to do with this game?"

"Your phone is the key for this game," Emma said. "I just sent you a text with a link on it. Click on it, and take the quiz."

Regina rolled her eyes as she saw the name of the quiz. "We're doing one of those teenage girl quizzes?"

"No," Emma said. "It's only a teenage girl quiz if you act like a teenage girl."

Regina laughed. "Touché. So I just take it and we determine who knows the other person better?"

Emma nodded. "Now stop talking and take the quiz."

"Yes ma'am," Regina said, giving a mock salute.

Now it was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. "Cute."

* * *

After an hour of going back and forth, it was obvious that Regina knew Emma better than Emma knew Regina. Neither of them had gotten 100%, but Regina had gotten pretty close.

"It's not fair," Emma said. "Lots of your answers could have been other ones. Those questions could have gone both ways."

Regina chuckled. "Don't be a sore loser."

"I'm not," Emma pouted. "Just pointing out how unfair it is."

"The only reason that I know you better is because I did a lot of research when you first got to town," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "Cheater."

Regina shrugged. "Sometimes cheating pays off."

"Well in that case," Emma said. "I demand a redo."

"Emma I was joking," Regina said. "The information that Sydney gave me had nothing to do with the answers to these quizzes. I doubt that your criminal file had in it how many children you want."

Emma shrugged. "Technicalities."

Regina laughed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Emma shook her head. "Not at all."

"Fine," Regina sighed. "Round two has begun."


	194. Day 194: Separation Serum

**If you haven't been watching Season 6, you're going to want to skip this chapter. If you are watching Season 6, enjoy this chapter!**

"I don't think that this is a good idea," Emma said, staring at the syringe that Snow was holding. "Maybe we should talk about this first."

"It's going to be fine," Snow said. "This way, the Evil Queen will be gone for good."

"But at what cost?" Emma asked. "We don't know what the side effects of this are."

"Snow, would you leave us alone for a moment?" Regina asked. "Just set the syringe down. It seems that Emma and I need to have a little talk."

Snow nodded before setting the syringe on the table. "I'll just wait back by the car. Come get me when you're ready."

"Don't touch it," Regina warned as Snow walked away, glaring at Emma. "I know you, which means I also know that you'll take it at the earliest opportunity."

Emma sighed before taking a step away from the syringe. "Fine. But there's not much to discuss. There is no way that you can inject that into yourself."

"I'm not," Regina said. "Snow is the one injecting me."

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's not the point."

"You're right," Regina said. "The point is that this is a chance for me to get rid of the evil part of myself and become a better person. For you, for Henry, heck even for the town."

"The point," Emma argued. "Is that you are injecting yourself with an unpredictable serum that could kill you."

"It's not going to kill me," Regina said.

"And you know that?" Emma asked. "You know for sure that when that serum is injected into you that it's not just going to kill you?"

Regina pursed her lips. "I-"

"It's a yes or no question," Emma said. "Do you know for sure that when that serum is injected into you that it's not going to kill you?"

Regina sighed. "No."

Emma nodded and went to pick up the serum, but Regina grabbed her arm. "Listen to me," Regina pleaded. "I can be so much happier if the evil in me is just gone."

"The evil is a part of you," Emma said, pulling her arm out of Regina's grasp. "It's what makes you, you. Yes, you did some terrible things while being the Evil Queen. But you've changed."

"That evil impulse is still inside me," Regina said. "I can't get rid of it. No matter how hard I try, I always want to rip someone's heart out. I just want that to go away."

"And what if the opposite happens?" Emma asked. "What if the evil overtakes you? Then what?"

Regina paused. She hadn't thought of that. "That won't happen."

Emma crossed her arms. "You seem so sure. Almost like you know exactly what's going to happen. Only you don't."

Regina sighed. "Emma-"

"No, I can't let you do this," Emma said. She picked up the serum before Regina could say anything and went to throw it towards the ocean.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed.

"What is going on?" Snow asked, walking towards them. "I know I said I was going back to the car, but all I could hear was arguing."

"Everything is fine," Emma said.

"No, it's not," Regina said. "You're about to throw that serum into the sea, and I need to use it."

"No you don't," Emma said.

"Emma, it's her choice," Snow said softly. "If she wants to use it, you have to let her."

"I can't lose you," Emma said. "If this serum kills you and I just stood by and watched, I could never forgive myself."

Regina walked forward and grabbed Emma's arm that had the serum, gently pulling it to her and taking the serum. "So don't stand by and watch. It it's killing me, force the evil back in."

"I can do that?" Emma asked.

"You're the Savior," Regina said, kissing her gently. "You can do anything."

Emma paused before nodding. "Okay. Let's get rid of an Evil Queen."


	195. Day 195: Aunt Regina

Regina sighed as she checked through the house one last time. The last time she had to baby proof the house was when Henry had been a baby. And now here she was. Babysitting her niece.

Zelena was out, claiming that she needed a break and some "mummy time". So naturally, she had handed her daughter off to Regina. And Regina, wanting to repair things with Zelena, had taken on the role of babysitter.

The doorbell rang, and Regina hurried to answer it. If she was going to babysit, at least she was going to have some company while doing so.

"Hey there," Emma said, walking into the mansion. "You ready to do some babysitting?"

"Oh yes," Regina said. "I'm so excited to babysit the child of the sister who once tried to kill me."

Emma laughed. "Well, at least you're staying positive."

"I haven't had a baby in this house in years," Regina said. "So we'll see how this goes."

"You raised a pretty good kid," Emma said. "I have no doubt that you'll be able take care of a baby for one night."

"And with you to help me," Regina said.

Emma shrugged. "The only time that I've done anything with a baby was the one time I babysat Neal. I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to babies."

"Well, this will be the best way to learn," Regina said. She walked over to the crib, jumping as she saw Robin lying there.

"Did the baby scare you?" Emma teased.

"She wasn't there when I went to answer the door," Regina said, bending down to pick Robin up.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's Zelena for you I guess."

"Pretty much," Regina agreed. "Here you go." She held out Robin for Emma to take.

Emma's eyes widened and she took a step back. "Funny."

"Wasn't trying to be," Regina said. "I need to make dinner, and she can't be left in the room alone."

"So I'll stand by the edge of the crib," Emma said.

"You're not going to break her," Regina said, stepping closer to Emma. "You know how to hold Neal. Holding Robin isn't any different."

Several beats passed before Emma shifted her arms. Regina smiled before setting Robin gently in them. "Now you can keep me company while watching the baby."

Emma rolled her eyes before following Regina into the kitchen. "Where's Henry at anyway? He could have helped with babysitting duty."

"He could have," Regina agreed. "But I enjoy your company more."

"Wow, I must have really moved up on the food chain," Emma teased. She looked down at Robin, who just stared back at her. How this little girl was the daughter of the Wicked Witch and was happy was beyond her.

Emma looked up to see Regina smiling at her. "What?" she asked.

Regina shrugged. "Nothing."

"No, don't pull that," Emma said. "What was that look for?"

"You look like a natural," Regina said. "That's all."

Emma smiled before bouncing Robin lightly. "A natural huh? Did you happen to think about anything else that made you smile while looking at me holding a baby?"

Regina froze for a second before continuing her cooking. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"So, you weren't thinking about how this could be us?" Emma asked, walking closer. "And this could be our baby that I'm holding while you make dinner?"

Regina bit her lip. "That didn't even cross my mind."

"You're a terrible liar," Emma said, stopping right next to Regina.

"I am not," Regina said. "Just to you."

Emma laughed. She glanced down at Robin, smiling when she saw that the baby was fast asleep. "I'm going to go put her back in her crib."

Regina nodded and pretended not to watch as Emma happily carried Robin out of the room. It was true, she had been thinking about a future with Emma. That happened to include a baby of their own. But it would never happen.

"Penny for your thoughts," Emma said, walking back into the room.

Regina shook her head, going back to making dinner. "I was just thinking about how I would ask you to help me with dinner, but that would probably lead to a disaster."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I can help with the small stuff."

Regina smiled before handing her a knife. "You can chop up the vegetables." One day they would talk about their future together. But for now, babysitting would have to do.


	196. Day 196: Choking Hazard

**Another chapter from Season 6!**

As Emma crouched out of sight, she thought not for the first time that using Regina as bait probably wasn't a good idea. Then again, she was the one most likely to lure Hyde out of the building.

Regina marched right out into the open, dragging Jekyll behind her. As she began her speech, Emma sat in awe. Regina really could pull off both sides: the Evil Queen and Regina.

And then things took a turn for the worse. Hyde saw right through what Regina was trying to do, and moved closer to her. Emma got ready to fire at him, but then she saw Hyde's hand close around Regina's throat.

She distantly registered someone calling out to her, but all she could focus on was how Regina could die. The terror made her freeze, and her hands started shaking uncontrollably.

Emma shook her head and cleared her thoughts, realizing that the voice shouting her name was Regina herself. She fired the lightning bolts at Hyde, launching him into the windshield of a car.

Regina collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Emma dropped the weapon she was holding and ran over to where Regina was, kneeling down and grabbing her arm.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Regina countered, rubbing her throat. "You hesitated."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I-"

"Can you two talk about this later?" David asked. "Right now we need to get Hyde out of here."

"Right," Emma said, standing up and offering a hand to Regina. "Let's take care of the bad guy first. That's what we do best."

* * *

Once Hyde had been safely locked away, everyone broke apart to go home. They had all had enough excitement for one day.

"We need to talk," Regina said, following Emma to her bug.

"About what?" Emma asked, feigning innocence. She had been hoping to escape talking about what had happened earlier. After all, it had been her fault that Regina had almost choked to death.

"Stop that," Regina said. "I can practically see you blaming yourself from here."

Emma smiled. "Sorry."

"So what happened today?" Regina asked.

"I don't know," Emma mumbled. "I just froze."

"You just froze," Regina said slowly. "That's the best that you can do? I must say, I'm not that impressed."

Emma sighed and leaned up against the bug. "I was going to do everything according to plan. And then I saw him choking you, and I just froze. I know, it was bad timing, but I just saw him killing you and it scared me so badly because I can't lose you and-"

Regina lips crashing into hers stopped her from continuing. "You can stop rambling now."

Emma laughed. "Thank you for stopping my rambling."

Regina smiled and went to walk away, but Emma's tight grip on her arm stopped her. Regina looked at her in confusion, but her confusion quickly turned to concern when she saw how pale that Emma was.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked.

Emma reached out and lightly touched Regina's neck, which had several small bruises on it from Hyde's fingers.

Regina winced at her touch; the skin was still sensitive after all, before smiling. "Don't worry about it. It'll heal."

"He could have killed you," Emma whispered. "And it would have been all my fault."

Regina pulled her arm out of Emma's grasp before pulling her in for a hug. "I'm right here. No matter what happens, I'll always be right here."

"But it would have been my fault if you had died today," Emma mumbled.

Regina squeezed her gently. "I know. But I didn't. And that's just going to have to do for now. We'll work through everything else. We always do."

"We do," Emma agreed. "I love you."

Regina smiled. "I love you too."


	197. Day 197: Too Nice

Emma sighed from her spot on the couch as Henry ran through the house again. One of these times, he was going to slide and fall. And most likely break something.

Even though she knew this, Emma could never bring herself to scold him. She left that to Regina. Only problem was that Regina currently wasn't home. Which left Emma in charge. And Henry knew that Emma would never yell at him for anything.

Emma heard running again, followed by a thud and a crash. "Oh no," Emma said. "Things are about to get interesting."

Henry walked slowly into the room, looking extremely guilty. "Hi Ma. How's the paperwork coming?"

Emma laughed. "What did you break?"

Henry winced. "I hit the wall and one of her mirrors fell."

Emma's eyes widened. Of all things to break, of course it had to be a mirror. One of Regina's most prized possessions.

"What do we do?" Henry asked.

"I'm sure I can fix it," Emma said, getting off of the couch. "Magic tends to come in handy when it comes to these things."

"Unless of course the person who owns the item you broke comes home before you can fix it," Regina said, walking into the room.

"Uh oh," Henry said.

"Uh oh is correct," Regina said. "Go grab the broom and clean up the glass on the floor, then go to your room."

Henry nodded before quickly leaving the room. Once he was gone, Regina turned to Emma. "Why didn't you tell him to stop running in the house?"

"I didn't notice he was running," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Sure you didn't."

Emma sighed and sat back down on the couch. "I can't scold him. No matter how bad he gets, I always feel like I have to be the nice one because I'm the one that gave him up in the first place. I'm trying to make up for lost time."

Regina sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "I know. But letting him walk all over you isn't the way to go either. There's a balance."

"But I don't want to make him upset," Emma said.

"He's your son, not your best friend," Regina said. "You may be close to him, but you still have to be his parent."

Emma sighed. "I don't think he's going to like that."

"It's not about what he likes," Regina said. "It's about what's best for him."

"You're an amazing mother, you know that?" Emma asked, nudging Regina gently.

Regina blushed and smiled. "It took a lot of practice. Trust me, you'll get the hang of it."

Emma shrugged. "Eventually. But for now, I think I've got the best teacher possible."


	198. Day 198: Underworld Regrets

Emma sat inside the Underworld version of Granny's, debating whether she really wanted to drink her hot chocolate or not. Knowing the blind witch, it was probably poisoned.

And then there was the fact that she was currently in the Underworld. Surrounded by people who had unfinished business, and were looking to her for help. Yay for being the Savior.

The bell on the door jangled as Regina walked in. She looked around, smiling when she noticed Emma sitting at what would have been her usual table if they weren't in the Underworld.

Without even looking at anyone else, Regina walked over and sat across from Emma. Emma didn't even acknowledge Regina's presence; she was too busy looking out of the window, lost in her thoughts.

Regina looked at her in concern before clearing her throat, gaining her attention. "Are you okay?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Just lost in thought."

"Lost in thought, or just lost?" Regina asked.

"Both," Emma said. She ran her fingers through her hair before sighing. "I don't know what to do."

"Something's bothering you," Regina said. "Besides the obvious fact that we're in the Underworld saving a man whom you no longer have feelings for."

"I gave him the darkness," Emma said. "I owe it to him to try and save him from this place."

"But that's not what's bothering you," Regina said, leaning forward. "Something else is. Something bigger than just feeling like you owe Hook."

"It's nothing," Emma said. "I should probably get going, I told my parents I would help with the phone booth situation."

"Right," Regina said. "How very nice of Cruella to get rid of the only contact anyone has with the real world."

Emma winced at the mention of Cruella's name, which Regina immediately noticed. Before Emma could leave the booth, Regina grabbed her hand. "Emma."

"I don't want to talk about it," Emma said, averting Regina's gaze.

"Emma, look at me," Regina said, squeezing her hand gently. Several beats passed before Emma hesitantly looked at Regina. "What happened with Cruella was an accident."

"I killed her," Emma said. "She's down here because of me."

"And do you know how many people are down here because of me?" Regina asked. "I can guarantee you that most of the unfinished business down here is because of me. What you did was an accident. What I did was on purpose."

"Does it matter?" Emma asked. "I still killed her."

"She was going to kill Henry," Regina said. "You were protecting him. Sometimes protecting those we love gets taken to a whole new level."

"Like killing someone?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "You're missing the point. Beating yourself up over the death of Cruella isn't going to reverse what happened."

"No, but it does allow me to realize what a terrible person I am," Emma said bitterly.

"You are not a terrible person," Regina said strongly. "You were doing what the Savior does best. Saving."

"Maybe I don't want to be the Savior anymore then," Emma mumbled.

"You don't mean that," Regina said. "Being the Savior is in your heart. No matter how hard you try, you will always try to save people."

Emma sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Regina smiled. "Killing one person does not make you a terrible person. Especially when it was an accident. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Emma said, earning an eye roll from Regina. She laughed, letting go of Regina's hand and getting out of the booth. "Now let's go defeat the God of the Underworld."


	199. Day 199: Savior Nightmare

**Another Season 6 related chapter!**

 _Regina watched as Emma fought with the hooded figure. It looked like she had the upper hand, but sword fighting could be unpredictable. One moment you were winning, and the next you were dead._

 _Regina gasped as the hooded figure kicked Emma in the stomach, sending her flying. "Get up, get up," Regina pleaded._

 _Emma rolled over, rising to her knees just in time to block the next blow from the hooded figure. She pushed the figure away, getting to her feet and continuing to fight._

 _Out of Regina's peripheral vision, she saw Snow, David, Hook, and Henry running to Emma. "Yes, please help her," Regina said. "She can't do this alone."_

 _Suddenly, the figure knocked the sword from Emma's hands, sending it skidding across the concrete. Regina looked down in horror as it stopped right in front of her. She tried to bend down to pick it up, but found that she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move?_

 _The sword suddenly vanished in a cloud of maroon smoke, and Emma looked at the spot where it had been with wide eyes. Snow, David, and Hook watched in terror (Henry had his face buried in Hook's chest) as Emma turned back to the hooded figure. "I'm not going to let you hurt them," she said._

 _She raised her hand, but stared at it as it started shaking uncontrollably. The hooded figure took a step forward and stabbed her right in the stomach._

" _No!" Regina screamed._

* * *

"Emma!" Regina screamed, bolting upright. She was panting harshly, and the vision of Emma being stabbed right in front of her wouldn't leave her mind.

She looked next to her at Emma sleeping soundly. But that wasn't proof enough. In her desperation, Regina reached over and pulled the covers off of Emma, beginning to check her over for any injuries.

Emma slowly opened her eyes, confused as to why she was suddenly cold. She reached over and turned her bedside lamp on, illuminating Regina's tear-stained face as she frantically pressed her hands over Emma's stomach.

"Regina?" Emma asked. "What are you doing?"

"You have a wound on your stomach," Regina said, her eyes glazed over. "I have to stop the bleeding."

Emma looked in confusion at the spot where Regina hands were. There was no wound. "Regina, I think you had a nightmare. There's no wound there."

"Yes there is," Regina insisted. "I saw you get stabbed. I was there! I tried to give you your sword back, but I couldn't move and it stabbed you."

Emma put the pieces together and realized that Regina had just had a nightmare about the vision Emma had told her about.

She went to sit up, but that just made Regina panic more. "No! If you sit up the blood flow will just increase. That can't happen! You could bleed out!"

Emma realized right then and there that Regina's nightmare had freaked her out a lot more than any other nightmare she had ever had. And that was saying something.

"Regina, look at me," Emma commanded.

Regina shook her head. "I have to watch the bleeding."

Emma put her hands over Regina's. What she was going to do next would probably make things worse, but she had to snap Regina out of it before she could calm her down.

Grabbing Regina's wrists, Emma pulled Regina's hands off of her stomach and quickly sat up. Regina immediately started struggling against Emma's grip, crying and chanting over and over again that Emma would bleed out.

They struggled for several minutes before Emma managed to pin Regina's arms to her sides. Both of them were panting harshly, and tears were streaming down Regina's face. Her eyes were no longer glazed over, which Emma was thankful for, but there was still terror in them.

"Take some deep breaths," Emma said soothingly.

"I can't," Regina gasped out.

"Yes you can," Emma said, pulling her into a tight embrace. She rubbed a hand up and down Regina's back, sighing as she felt Regina checking her for wounds again.

"I'm fine," Emma said. "No one stabbed me. I'm not dead. I'm right here."

Finally, that seemed to register in Regina's brain. She relaxed completely into Emma's arms, relishing in the comfort of her embrace. "It felt so real."

"I know," Emma said. "I could tell."

Regina winced. "Sorry for waking you up."

"That's not what I meant," Emma said. "I don't think I've ever seen you react this strongly to a nightmare. Not even the ones about your mother."

"All of my other nightmares were memories," Regina said softly. "This one was different. And so much stronger."

Emma kissed the top of her head. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you about the vision."

"No," Regina said quickly. "I'm glad that you did. I want to know these things."

"But it gave you a nightmare," Emma pointed out.

"I know," Regina said. "But I want to know those kinds of things anyway. No matter what it does to me, I want to be there for you."

Emma sighed. "Okay."

They sat there for several moments before Emma yawned. "We should probably go back to sleep."

Regina tensed. She didn't want to have another nightmare. Especially about Emma's vision.

"I know," Emma said. The second hardest part of Regina's nightmares were convincing her to go back to sleep after having one. "But you can't just avoid going to sleep again. I'll be right here."

Regina bit her lip before nodding. She may not want to go back to sleep, but she trusted Emma. She would be right there. Every time.


	200. Day 200: Not a Little Girl

**We made it to day 200! That's crazy stuff right there. Thank you guys so much for reading!**

Ava opened her eyes and groaned. Her head was killing her. She blinked and looked at her surroundings in confusion. Where was she?

Slowly, the events from last night caught up to her. She had been out with a group of friends, and they of course had brought alcohol. Ever since she had turned 21, drinking seemed to be all that her friends wanted to do with her.

The party had been fun, but Ava had gotten a little more drunk than she would probably have liked. One thing had led to another, and she had gone home with a guy she had never met before.

"Oh no," Ava groaned. She looked over hesitantly and sighed in relief at seeing an empty spot next to her. And then she realized what had happened. She had just had a one-night stand.

"Great," she said. "My mothers are going to kill me."

* * *

Ava hesitantly walked up to the front door, trying to see if anyone was up yet. The house looked pretty dead, which meant that maybe she could sneak in and just go up to her room.

If she weren't home for break, it would have been a lot easier to just sneak back into her dorm room like nothing had happened. But things never seemed to work out for her that way.

Taking a deep breath, Ava opened the front door and slipped inside the mansion. She turned and closed the door behind her, sighing in relief. No one seemed to be up.

"Where were you last night?" Regina asked.

Ava jumped and spun around. "Mom. You're up."

Regina just looked at her, waiting for her question to be answered. Ava sighed. "I was out with some friends, and we got a little drunk. I knew that you wouldn't want me to drive home, so I just stayed at Tia's house."

Regina looked at her skeptically. "And nothing happened while you were drunk?"

"Nope," Ava said. "Nothing at all."

"Hey, look who's home," Emma said, walking into the foyer. "I thought I heard your voice."

Ava sighed. Of course she had to deal with both of her mothers at once. "Yep. Just stayed out late, that's all."

Emma looked her up and down, her jaw dropping. "No way. You didn't."

Ava blushed. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Emma scolded. "You got laid didn't you?"

Regina gasped. "Ava!"

"What?" Ava asked. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I know what sex is."

"But to have a one night stand?" Regina asked. "And while drunk? We raised you better than this."

Ava rolled her eyes. "You're making it a bigger deal than it is."

"How?" Regina asked. "You could get pregnant! Do you even know whom it was with? Or was he just gone when you woke up?"

Ava sighed. "He was gone when I woke up. No idea who he was."

Regina groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. "I swear if you get pregnant-"

"It'll be her own fault, and we'll help her through it," Emma interrupted. She grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing gently. "She's right, she's not a little girl anymore. She can make her own choices."

Regina sighed. "I suppose so. Just, please consider not doing anything like this again?"

Ava laughed. "Believe me, I do not want another hangover like the one I had last night. I'm never drinking again."

"I was talking about the one night stand part," Regina said.

"Oh," Ava said. "Yeah, I suppose I could not do that again too."

"You suppose?" Regina asked. "You were planning on doing it again?"

Emma rolled her eyes and let go of Regina's hand, leaving the room. She was done trying to keep things manageable. Ava was on her own.

 **I have more chapters for you all, I promise! I'll upload them as soon as I'm done writing and trying to catch up.**


	201. Day 201: Town Movie Night

"We need to educate the town," Henry said, walking into the living room.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "Educate them in what?"

"Disney movies," Henry said. "None of them have ever seen their own stories before. Or at least, the Disney version of them."

Regina laughed. "That would be because they would all be horrified at how inaccurate it is. There are several pieces missing to all of the stories."

"But they should at least know," Henry said. "I bet some of them might actually like it."

"Yeah, because my parents loved watching 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'," Emma said sarcastically. Regina burst out laughing. Snow and David had not appreciated watching that movie. At all.

"Okay, so take it as an opportunity to laugh at everyone's reactions," Henry said.

"Oh, true," Regina said thoughtfully. "That might actually be fun. Especially since Aladdin and Jasmine are in town too."

Emma sighed. "I'm outnumbered, aren't I?"

"Even if you weren't it wouldn't matter," Henry said. "Mom's the mayor, and whatever she says, goes."

"Very true," Regina said. "Now, let's schedule a movie night."

* * *

More people showed up than they had thought. Snow and David had agreed to come, but only if "Snow White" was out of the showing. Regina happily agreed. She didn't care much for the movie either.

Henry had decided that "Peter Pan" would be a fun one to show, since things would be so drastically different. And he really wanted to see Hook's reaction to himself.

Emma had picked "Aladdin" as a way to welcome the street rat and the princess themselves to town. And freak them out a little.

Regina had chosen "Cinderella". Emma was a good friend with Ashley, and the Disney version was slightly less troubling. Cinderella really did have a Fairy Godmother, not some creepy man who wanted to steal her first-born child.

They had decided to start with those three, and then see how the town was feeling. Shock was pretty much certain.

And that's exactly what happened. Shortly after "Peter Pan" ended, those who knew what had happened in Neverland went berserk. The movie was entirely different from the real story, and they didn't like that one bit.

Once Emma had gotten up in front of everyone and assured them that Disney twisted the stories to how he wanted them, they continued with the movie night.

Jasmine and Aladdin didn't really appreciate their movie, but they agreed that it had been a lot more accurate than "Peter Pan". Emma was thankful for their reactions to the whole thing. After all, they had never known what a movie was until recently.

As "Cinderella" played, Emma watched Ashley. She seemed amazed at the story, and how accurate it was, until they got to the Fairy Godmother scene. Her eyes filled with tears, and Emma wondered if she was silently wishing that her story had played out that way instead of the real way it had.

"Should we turn it off?" Regina whispered.

Emma shook her head. "I don't want to call her out like that. It'll be fine."

* * *

The movie finished, and people seemed genuinely happy with how it ended. After all, Cinderella had gotten her prince. And lived happily ever after.

Everyone packed up their lawn chairs and headed to their cars, except for Ashley. She handed her daughter off to her husband before heading over to where Emma and Regina stood.

"This was fun," Ashley said. "We should do it more often."

"I'm glad you liked it," Emma said. "I wasn't sure there for a moment."

Ashley smiled. "I was just wishing that my story had played out like the movie. That my Fairy Godmother really had been just that. A fairy that wanted to help me because I was a kind person who had been pushed around for too long. And instead, I almost lost my daughter."

"Every story has its rough patches," Regina said. "Trust me."

Ashley smiled. "Oh believe me, I know. Anyway, thank you both for tonight. We should do it again. I think the town liked it."

Regina and Emma shared a smile. "You should really be thanking Henry," Emma said. "It was his idea."

"You bet it was," Henry said proudly.

Ashley laughed. "Well, thank you. Some of us needed the hope that those movies provided."

As she walked away, Emma put an arm around Henry and ruffled his hair. "Good idea, kid. Turns out that the town actually liked it."

"So we can do more of them?" Henry asked.

"Sure," Regina said. "We can do more Disney movie nights."


	202. Day 202: Denial

Regina sighed from her spot on the couch. She could definitely have continued working up until she went into labor, but Emma had insisted that she take maternity leave.

Which Regina didn't like one bit. She was bored out of her mind. There was only so much cleaning that you could do before you got tired of cleaning. The nursery had been decorated and everything was ready for Baby Girl Swan-Mills.

So now Regina had nothing to do. She had already baked several batches of cookies, weeded her garden, and had even taken a nap. Now she was left with nothing to do.

The doorbell rang, and Regina immediately perked up. She didn't care who it was; some company was better than no company.

Getting off of the couch proved to be a little harder than she would have liked, but she eventually got up and walked to the front door. She opened it, slightly cringing when she saw who was on the other side.

"I know, I'm not who you want to be with right now," Snow said. "But Emma said that you would probably be going crazy with boredom, and I thought that I could help."

Regina nodded and stepped to the side, letting Snow enter the mansion. They walked together to the living room, and Regina let Snow get comfortable before offering her a drink of some kind. Snow tried to blow it off, but Regina insisted, walking to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

As she reached into the cabinet, Regina felt a pop followed by a gush of warm liquid that soaked through her pants. Her eyes widened.

"Regina?" Snow called. "Is everything okay?"

Regina quickly got Snow's glass of water before walking back to the living room. "What happened to your pants?" Snow asked.

"I spilled your glass of water," Regina said. "That's why it took me so long to get it to you. I'm just going to go change, and then I'll be back."

"Okay," Snow said. Once Regina left the room, Snow pulled out her phone and texted Emma. She had a feeling that Regina's water had just broken. And if she knew Regina like she thought she did, Regina would deny it until the baby was in her arms.

Regina came back into the room, sitting down on the couch like nothing had happened. Snow watched her for several moments, waiting to see if Regina would show any signs of discomfort.

"Why are you staring at me?" Regina asked, glancing at Snow.

"Sorry," Snow said. "How about a movie?"

* * *

Several hours later, Snow could tell that something was up. Regina kept shifting, and now she was making a fist and clenching her teeth every 20 minutes or so.

"Regina, are you okay?" Snow asked. "You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine," Regina said. "Baby's just very active right now. I think I actually just have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

After she had left the room, Snow pulled out her phone again. Only this time, she was making a call.

"Hey mom," Emma said. "What's up?"

"You might want to come home," Snow said. "I think Regina's in labor, and you and I both know that she'll deny it unless you convince her to go to the hospital."

"Yeah," Emma said. "I'll be home in 5 minutes. Keep her occupied until then, and whatever you do, do not tell her I'm on my way."

"Got it," Snow said. She hung up just as Regina walked back into the room.

"Were you just on the phone?" Regina asked, sitting back down onto the couch.

"David called just to see how things were going," Snow said. "Probably to make sure that we haven't killed each other."

Regina laughed. "Something like that."

Suddenly the front door opened and closed. Regina looked at Snow in confusion. Nobody just walked into the house, unless it was Emma or Henry.

"Hey there," Emma said, walking into the room.

Regina visibly brightened. "Hi. You're home early."

Emma bent down and gave her a quick kiss. "David's handling the rest of the paperwork. I thought that I would come home."

"Why's that?" Regina asked.

"Just wanted to see you," Emma said innocently.

Regina rolled her eyes. She wasn't buying it. "What's really going on?"

Emma looked at Snow and motioned with her head for Snow to leave the room. Snow nodded and left, heading up to Regina and Emma's room. That was where the ready bag was.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked.

"Fine," Regina said. "She's just really active today. Did Snow call you and tell you that something was wrong?"

Emma went to defend Snow when she saw Regina's face scrunch up in pain. She clenched her fists, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

"You are not fine," Emma said, kneeling in front of Regina. "How long have you been having contractions?"

"I am not having contractions," Regina argued. "Just some really bad cramps."

"Gina," Emma said softly. "How long have you been having contractions?"

Several beats passed before Regina sighed. "Since my water broke a couple hours ago."

Emma's eyes widened. "Why didn't you say anything? You should be at the hospital right now."

Regina shook her head. "It wasn't bad. It's still not too bad. Just uncomfortable."

"This is not even up for discussion," Emma said, standing up. "We're going to the hospital right now." She held out her hand to Regina, ready to help her off of the couch.

Regina stared at Emma's hand, but didn't move. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" Emma asked, kneeling down again.

"Labor, being a mother, everything," Regina said. "I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"You're already a mother," Emma said. "And a pretty great one at that. As for the labor part, I'll be by your side the whole entire time. And you know what? I'm scared too. But we'll do it together, and that's what matters."

Regina nodded, grimacing and groaning as a stronger contraction hit her. Emma grabbed her hand. "Breathe."

The contraction passed and Regina smiled at Emma. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma said. "Now let's get to the hospital. We have a baby girl to meet."


	203. Day 203: Breathing

**For those of you who have never experienced one before, asthma attacks are scary as hell. Even little ones.**

Emma winced as she heard Regina cough in the other room. Henry had picked up a cold at school, and had managed to give it to Regina.

Henry's had all been in his nose, but Regina's had seemed to go straight to her lungs. She had spent many nights already awake because of her coughing.

Emma had tried to convince her to go to the doctor, but she had refused. She already had an inhaler, which she claimed would be enough to help her get through all of the coughing and the cold.

Suddenly, Emma heard Regina's coughing get worse. She coughed and coughed, starting to gasp for air. Emma's stomach dropped and she ran towards their bedroom, where Regina was being confined.

Emma quickly opened the door just as Regina fell from the bed onto the floor, still coughing. Emma ran to her side, frantically looking around for her inhaler. With all the coughing it had to be close, right?

Regina started gasping, her hand moving from covering her mouth to her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Emma panicked, searching frantically throughout the room for any sign of Regina's inhaler.

"Bathroom," Regina gasped out, continuing to cough. Emma jumped to her feet and ran to the bathroom, pushing items all over the place in search of the inhaler.

Finally she found it, and of course it was right in front of her. She grabbed it and ran back out to where Regina was, pretty much throwing the inhaler at her.

Regina took the inhaler and used it, taking deep breaths of air as her lungs opened up. Emma breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Regina breathing instead of coughing.

Avoiding Emma's gaze, Regina reached up to the end table and grabbed her water bottle, taking small sips.

"Are you just going to pretend like that didn't happen?" Emma asked.

"I'm fine," Regina said. "I just put my inhaler in the wrong spot and couldn't find it in time to use it. I'll keep it closer from now on."

"That's not good enough," Emma said. "We're going to the doctor to determine if you really are fine or not, and then we're getting you put on medication for this cold."

"That's not necessary," Regina said, setting the water bottle back on the end table. She pushed off of the ground and stood up, brushing herself off. "I'm fine."

Emma huffed and stood up. "Don't be so stubborn. This could be something serious!"

"Every cough I have is serious," Regina said.

"Exactly!" Emma exclaimed. "Which is why we should go to the doctor and get you checked out."

"Relax," Regina said. "That's not necessary. I did the inhaler and now I'm fine."

Emma shook her head. "No, we're going to the doctor. You're not allowed to have another attack like that. Ever."

Regina looked at Emma and her gaze softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"But you did," Emma replied quickly. "You were on the floor, gasping for air. If I hadn't been here to grab your inhaler, who knows what would have happened. Oh wait, I do know. You would have died, gasping for air."

"Until this cold passes, I promise to keep my inhaler on me at all times," Regina said. "I promise."

"That's not good enough," Emma said. "I need a doctor to tell me that nothing was done that damaged your lungs or anything."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's hands. "It was just an asthma attack. My lungs couldn't have gotten damaged, and even they did, I can promise you that I would say something about it."

Emma sighed. "Fine. We don't have to go to the doctor. But you're keeping the inhaler on you at all times. Even if you don't have a cold."

Regina chuckled. She supposed that she should pick her battles. "Deal."


	204. Day 204: Hold Me Close

**Another chapter based off of real life events. The first hug that you have as a couple is something magical. Just saying.**

For as long as Emma had known her, she had never seen anyone except for Henry hug Regina Mills.

They had been talking for a long time now, but they hadn't ever discussed what they were. Were they just really close friends? Or did they both have feelings for each other that could lead to a potential relationship?

Emma had figured that the reason Regina didn't like a hug was because she didn't like being touched. But Henry told her otherwise.

"She likes being hugged," Henry said. "But she's not used to doing it. She hugs me because she raised me and I've always hugged her. But she has a hard time being the one to hug first."

"Why?" Emma asked.

Henry shrugged. "That's a question for her. She doesn't tell me that stuff."

"So what do I do?" Emma asked. "I really want to hug her, but I don't want to freak her out. What if it's just awkward?"

"You won't know until you just go for it," Henry said.

Emma sighed. "I guess so."

"You really like her, don't you?" Henry asked.

"A lot," Emma said. "I like her a lot."

"Does she know that?" Henry asked. "Because that's a good step to take before you just randomly hug her."

"She kind of knows," Emma said. They had been flirting with each other for a long time. But neither of them had actually said anything about it.

"Well then hugging her shouldn't be a problem," Henry said cheerfully. "And would you look at that, there she is!"

Emma's eyes widened as she looked across the street and saw Regina walking towards Granny's. "Don't you dare say anything."

Henry held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not saying anything. But you should go to lunch with her. And then walk her to her car afterwards, which is the perfect opportunity to give her a hug. Get your relationship going."

"Sure kid," Emma said. "Now get to school."

Henry just smiled before walking off. Emma shook her head and smiled before crossing the street and walking into Granny's. Without even thinking about it, she walked over and sat across from Regina.

"Good morning," Regina said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Emma shrugged. "Just wanted to say hi I guess."

Regina smiled. "Well, then you might as well stay and have some breakfast."

* * *

After they finished eating, Regina and Emma took a walk around town. The weather was nice, and they really just enjoyed the time together. Eventually, Regina even started telling stories from when Henry was a baby.

"Wait a minute," Emma said. "I remember some of these stories."

Regina smiled. "I gave those memories to you when you crossed over the town line. That way, it was like he was always your son."

Emma stopped walking, staring at her in amazement. "You did that for me?"

Regina stopped and turned to face her. "Of course I did. You needed those memories in order for both of you to be happy."

Emma smiled before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Regina. At first Regina tensed, then smiled and wrapped her arms around Emma. They stood like that for several moments, each relishing in the embrace of the other.

They eventually broke apart, each smiling. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," Emma said.

"So have I," Regina said.

"Why didn't you?" Emma asked.

"Fear of rejection," Regina said. "Why didn't you?"

"Was afraid if I hugged you I would never let go," Emma said. She smiled even wider as Regina blushed and looked down at her feet.

"That was rather romantic," Regina mumbled.

Emma laughed. "I wasn't trying to be. But I'm glad that you thought so."

"So what is this?" Regina asked, gesturing in between them. "Are we...something?"

"Do you want us to be?" Emma asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Regina said. "But I don't know. I'm not really sure what I want to do right now."

Emma nodded. "And that's okay. I'll be here when you decide what you want."

"Really?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Emma said. "I've waited this long just to be able to hug you. I can go as slow or fast with this as you want."

Regina smiled before grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her in for another hug. They stood like that for several moments, both of them thinking about the future that they would have together. Not could. Would.


	205. Day 205: Unapproved

Regina finished putting dinner on the table, making sure everything was perfect. She had cooked all of Emma's favorite foods, which she hoped would help with the conversation.

"It smells good in here," Henry said, walking into the room. He looked at the table, and then at Regina. "Why did you make all of Emma's favorite foods?"

Regina shrugged. "No reason."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Nice try. What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Regina said. "We just need to have a discussion, that's all. Which is why you will be spending the evening at Nick's house so Emma and I can talk."

"Why can't I be here when you talk?" Henry asked.

"Because I said so," Regina said. "Now go get your shoes on. He and his mom will be here any minute."

Henry sighed dramatically before going upstairs. Regina chuckled and shook her head, wiping her hands on her apron before taking it off.

The front door opened and closed, signaling that Emma was home. Regina took a deep breath and composed herself. If Henry had seen through the dinner plan, Emma definitely would.

"What's going on in here?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Just made dinner for us," Regina said.

"With all of my favorite foods?" Emma asked skeptically. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Regina exclaimed. "I just thought that we could have a dinner with everything that you like."

"I'm leaving!" Henry called.

"Have fun!" Regina called back.

Emma looked even more confused as she heard the front door close. "Why did Henry leave?"

"He's spending the night at Nick's house," Regina explained. "Thought that it would be easier to talk if he wasn't around."

"I knew something was up," Emma said.

Regina sat down at her spot at the table, gesturing for Emma to do the same. "Let's eat first. Then we can discuss what I want to talk about."

"That doesn't sound good," Emma mumbled, sitting down. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this conversation."

"Probably not," Regina admitted. "But it's necessary."

* * *

After dinner, they moved into the living room to be more comfortable. "So, what's going on?" Emma asked.

"How is your relationship with your parents?" Regina asked.

"Um, fine I think," Emma said. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Regina said. "If you have a decent relationship with your parents, why not tell them about us?"

Emma winced. She should have known that this conversation would come up eventually. Even though she and Regina had been dating for quite some time, Emma still hadn't talked to Snow and David about it.

"I don't know," Emma mumbled. "Just haven't had the opportunities to."

"Don't use that excuse," Regina said. "We both know that you talk to them every night when you have dinner. Any night you could have said something."

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's complicated."

"How so?" Regina asked. "You don't think that they would approve because of my history with them?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "But it's not that. I don't know how they would feel about me being with another woman."

"Oh," Regina said. "Why would that matter?"

"Because I'm supposed to be this perfect princess and princesses are supposed to be married to a prince," Emma blurted out. Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

She quickly got up to leave the room, but Regina grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the couch.

"Don't run," Regina said. "We need to talk about what you just said."

"I didn't say anything," Emma said. "Absolutely nothing. Let's just pretend that nothing happened."

Regina shook her head. "Not going to happen. What's going on?"

"I came out to one of my foster mothers once," Emma said. "It, um, didn't go over very well. And I can't imagine what my real mother would say when she found out considering I'm supposed to be this perfect Savior and princess and princesses love princes and I don't want anything between us to be ruined because of what they think because if I lost you I wouldn't have anything and it would kill me and-"

"Okay, okay," Regina said, pulling Emma close to her and hugging her tightly. "Take a deep breath."

Emma shakily took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "I want to tell them, I do. But I can't bear the thought of them not approving and then losing you."

"I know," Regina said. She kissed the top of Emma's head. "But we should tell them."

Emma tensed and went to pull away, but Regina tightened her hold. "Just listen. You are an adult, Emma. I'm pretty sure you don't need their approval for whom you can and can't date. If we go to them and tell them that we're together, they can't do anything about it."

Emma relaxed in Regina's arms. She was right. Snow and David couldn't do anything. And if they kicked her out, she and Henry could just live in the mansion with Regina.

"Okay," Emma said. "Let's go tell my parents."


	206. Day 206: Pillow Fight

Emma waited patiently behind the door to her and Regina's bedroom. Any moment now, Regina would be home from work, and the fun could begin.

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened. Emma leapt into action, swinging the pillow in her hands at the person walking into the room.

"Ma!" Henry exclaimed. "Stop hitting me with the pillow, Mom isn't home yet!"

"Oh, sorry kid," Emma said, dropping the pillow to her side.

Henry laughed. "You have some good swinging skill. I'm impressed."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I've had lots of practice with pillow fights. That's what led to all of the muscle."

"Do you think she'll play along?" Henry asked. "I tried to get her to join me and a couple friends when we did it, but she wasn't interested in that."

Emma smirked. "Oh she'll be joining. Trust me."

Henry just shook his head and laughed before leaving the room. For some reason, he didn't doubt for a second that Emma could make Regina participate in a pillow fight.

Emma smirked before going back to her hiding place. Now that Henry had experienced the ambush, she knew that it was a good hiding spot. Regina would totally be surprised.

* * *

The front door opened and closed, signaling that Regina had finally come home from work. She kicked off her shoes before walking upstairs, ready to change into more casual clothes that she only wore at home.

Regina paused as she reached the top of the stairs. It was quiet. Too quiet. Pursing her lips, Regina walked to Henry's room and opened his door quietly.

Henry was sitting at his desk, working away at his homework while listening to music. He was doing math, so it was probably his and Violet's song.

Smiling, Regina closed his door. Nothing suspicious there. Which only left one person that could be up to something.

Regina walked slowly towards her and Emma's bedroom. Something was up. Emma had the day off, and there was no way that she would have ignored the fact that Regina had finally come home.

As she got closer, Regina could slightly see the shadow of Emma's feet behind the door. She rolled her eyes. Of course Emma was trying to scare her.

Regina chuckled as she thought of a little fun of her own. She crept slowly towards the open bedroom door, careful not to make any noise and alert Emma to her presence.

What Emma hadn't thought about when she had chosen her hiding spot was what would happen if someone slammed the door open. She was about to find out.

Regina stopped in front of the door and smirked. This was going to be fun. She grabbed the doorknob and swung the door quickly open, laughing as Emma grunted and tried to back away.

"That's what you get for trying to hide behind doors and scare people," Regina teased, closing the door to allow Emma space to get out.

"I wasn't trying to scare you," Emma said. "I was trying to do this."

Before Regina could say another word, Emma swung her pillow and hit Regina in the arm with it.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. "Why are you hitting me with a pillow?"

"It's called a pillow fight," Emma said. "Grab a pillow and hit me back with it."

Regina stared at Emma like she was crazy. "What in the world is this weird game that you're trying to get me to play?"

"I already told you," Emma said. "It's a pillow fight. Now grab a pillow and hit me back or I'm just going to start hitting you over and over."

Regina's eyes widened as she ran to the bed and grabbed a pillow, turning around just in time to block Emma's attack. "A sneak attack? How rude."

Emma just shrugged. "Bring it on."

Regina smiled. "Oh I plan to."


	207. Day 207: Feasting

**Happy really late Thanksgiving! It's not really Thanksgiving anymore, but this day was supposed to be on Thanksgiving. :)**

"You guys ready to go?" Emma asked as she came downstairs. "We need to get going or Snow and David are going to get concerned that we're not coming at all."

Henry just looked at her in confusion. "Mom isn't downstairs yet. I thought she was with you."

"She said she was going to come down and make sure you were ready to go," Emma said. She and Henry both groaned. Regina had fooled them.

"Why would she try to throw us off?" Henry asked. "She's getting along with Snow and David now."

Emma shrugged. "No idea. You call them and tell them that we're running late, I'm going to see if I can find her."

Henry nodded and pulled out his phone. Emma sighed before leaving the room. The only other time that Regina had done this was when she didn't want to go to a party that Snow and David were having. That had been about crowds. What was this going to be?

Regina had a hiding spot in the house that only Emma knew about. Henry had almost found it once, so Regina had sealed it with blood magic. But as she and Emma found out, Savior magic plus True Love was stronger than blood magic.

Emma climbed the ladder to the attic and smiled slightly as she saw Regina sitting on a box playing with her wedding ring.

"What's going on?" Emma asked, sitting on a box next to Regina.

Regina shrugged. "Nothing. Just don't feel like going."

"Don't do that," Emma said. "Come on, what's wrong? You never hide on Henry and I like this unless you're desperate not to do something."

Regina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't like the idea of feasting."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Eating large quantities of food," Regina said. "I don't like that Thanksgiving has an expectation that you're going to stuff yourself silly and then spend time as a family. I can't stuff myself like that."

"No one is asking you to," Emma said. "But why would that be a problem?"

Regina winced. "I'm sure you can guess."

"Cora," Emma said.

Regina nodded. "I was never allowed very much food. All of my portions were monitored so that I never got to a weight that she didn't like. I fit into all of my dresses though."

Emma reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm not going to force you to eat. But trust me when I say that you can still go today and just eat a normal portion of food."

"I can?" Regina asked. "And that wouldn't be odd?"

"Not at all," Emma said. "Now come on, my parents are going to get impatient."

"And we wouldn't want that to happen," Regina said, standing up with Emma. She went to leave the attic, but Emma grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No matter what you look like, I will always love you," Emma said. "Whether you're 120 or 220, you will always be the woman I love."

Regina smiled and kissed Emma deeply. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma said. "Now let's go eat some turkey."


	208. Day 208: Killing the Count

**Another Season 6 chapter! Honestly super sad that nothing is going to be back until March. Ugh.**

"Ma!" Henry called, running into the apartment. "You need to come here right now!"

"What's going on?" Emma asked, putting Neal in his crib. "Are you okay? The Evil Queen didn't hurt you did she?"

"No," Henry said. "But she hurt Mom."

"What did she do?" Emma asked. "Do we need to meet at the hospital?"

"No, it wasn't physical," Henry said. "It was emotional. The Queen was trying to make a point that darkness was still in Mom."

"Oh no," Emma said. "Where is she?"

"Her vault," Henry said. "You know that she hides there when she's upset about something and wants to be alone."

"Yeah she's not staying alone for long," Emma said. "Thanks kid."

"You're welcome," Henry said. "Now get her home. I'm worried about her."

"So am I," Emma said. "I'll be back with her as soon as I can."

* * *

Emma shivered as she walked towards Regina's vault. The weather was starting to get colder, but there was also an eerie feel to the forest at night that sent shivers down Emma's spine. Especially by Regina's vault.

Emma went to enter, but found that there was a barrier in the way. "Dang it Regina." She used her magic to push against the barrier, alerting Regina to her presence.

She waited several moments for Regina to let her in, but nothing happened. Emma started to get worried. Regina never shut herself in this much.

"Come on Gina," Emma pleaded. "It's just me. Let me in."

She reached out her magic towards the barrier again, and smiled in relief when she found that she could get through.

The doors to the vault opened as Emma got closer, and she quickly ran down to where Regina usually was. This time was no exception.

"Thank you for letting me in," Emma said.

"You're welcome," Regina mumbled. "I would hate to think of what you would do if I hadn't let you in."

Emma chuckled before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Regina and pulling her close. "I'm worried about you. Henry said that the Evil Queen got the best of you today. What happened?"

Regina tensed. "There was just an accident, that's all. I'm not hurt."

"What exactly happened?" Emma asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Regina said, pulling away from Emma. "It was just an accident, and it won't happen again."

Emma grabbed her arm. "What did she do?"

Regina sighed. "She set me up."

"To do what?" Emma asked.

"Kill someone," Regina whispered. "But I didn't want to. I haven't killed anyone in a long time and it felt so wrong."

"I know," Emma said.

"He was going to kill your parents," Regina said. "I had no choice. Otherwise I wouldn't have. Another person's blood on my hands was not something that I needed."

"You don't need to explain anything to me," Emma said soothingly. "And if she set you up, then it's hardly your fault."

"But I'm the one that killed him," Regina said.

"You were protecting your family," Emma countered. "Sometimes protecting our own means doing something that we don't really want to do."

Regina bit her lip. "I guess."

"Hey," Emma said. "You were a hero today. Without your help, my parents wouldn't even be alive right now."

"Very true," Regina said. "But I still had to kill someone."

"Regina, listen to me," Emma commanded. "You did what you had to do. No one is going to blame you for it."

"I killed someone right in front of our son," Regina said.

"To protect his grandparents," Emma said. "Besides, he said that you looked awesome sword-fighting."

Regina laughed. "I suppose so."

"You suppose so?" Emma asked. "That is the most kick-ass thing ever. You have to teach me sometime."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Me? Teach you how to sword-fight?"

Emma nodded. "There is no way that I would pass up a chance to duel my own wife. This could be awesome."

"You're a dork," Regina said, chuckling.

"I know," Emma said. "So, when can we start?"


	209. Day 209: Sneaking Out

Lola lay in bed and listened. The house was finally quiet. Her moms had stayed up late talking to Henry and Ava, so Lola had texted her friends that she was going to be a little late.

Getting out of bed, Lola quickly got changed into her party outfit. The Rabbit Hole was really only supposed to be for adults, but everyone knew that Lola had powerful magic that she always used to get her way.

A rock hit the window, and Lola quickly went over and opened it. "What have I told you about throwing things at my window?"

"Sorry," Angela said. "Now let's go, Will is only the guard for another 10 minutes."

Will was their friend as well, and just so happened to be one of the guards checking ID's outside of the door. So, he naturally had no problem letting them in.

Lola nodded before shutting the window and poofing herself down to where Angela was standing.

Angela rolled her eyes. "You couldn't just climb out like a normal person?"

"Why would I do that?" Lola asked. "That's way too much work."

Angela just rolled her eyes and walked to the car. "Let's get going magic girl."

* * *

Emma woke up, feeling like something was wrong. She listened for several moments before slowly getting out of bed.

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Where are you going?"

Emma mentally cursed. She had been hoping not to wake Regina up. No matter what the situation with their kids, Regina was always the one who freaked out. And Emma had a feeling that there was something up with one of the kids.

"I just need something to drink," Emma lied, getting up off of the bed. "I'll get a water bottle and be right back."

She walked out of the room, only she didn't go downstairs. She went straight to Lola's room, knowing that if any of the three kids would be up to something, it would be Lola.

Emma opened the door and cursed. Lola's bed was empty, and she hadn't even tried to hide that she was gone. Walking into the room, Emma grabbed Lola's pillow and went to poof to Regina's vault for a locator potion.

"She's gone?" Regina asked.

Emma spun around in surprise to face the door. "I thought you went back to sleep."

"I can't sleep without you next to me," Regina said simply. She walked forward and grabbed the pillow from Emma. "I assume that you were going to get a locator potion to find her?"

Emma nodded. "And I wanted to do it without you freaking out."

"Too late for that," Regina said. She poofed herself and Emma to her vault, immediately starting to go through boxes for the potion.

Emma sighed before helping her search. She reached into the first box and pulled out the exact potion she knew that they needed. "Got it."

"That was quick," Regina said, taking it from her. "Let's find our daughter then."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Regina said. "She's here?"

"I guess," Emma said, staring in disdain at The Rabbit Hole. "I don't know how she could have gotten in though; she isn't of age to drink."

"I'm sure she has friends in high places," Regina said, walking forward and going into the bar. Emma groaned before following her inside, hoping that this would be painless.

Regina used her magic to throw the door open, storming inside. The music stopped and everybody froze in fear as they looked at her.

"Um, Lola," Angela whispered. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think now would be a good time to sneak out."

Lola nodded and they both started to back away towards the door. "No one goes anywhere until I find my _underage_ daughter in this place," Regina said.

Lola winced and quickly hid behind Angela. This wasn't good.

"She was over there somewhere," a scared woman said, pointing directly at where Angela was standing.

Regina smiled as she saw Angela. She recognized her immediately, and knew that Lola would be with her.

Emma reached forward and grabbed Regina's arm. "Don't freak out on her. Not here."

"I'll freak out on her wherever I please," Regina said, trying to pull away.

Emma tightened her grip. "Listen to me. Freaking out on her here is going to do nothing but make her want to leave the house even more. Please. Don't freak out on her here."

Regina sighed before nodding. Emma smiled before letting go of her arm, and they walked together to where Angela stood. Lola tried to shrink down even farther to hide, but Emma just walked around Angela and pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, we're going home," Emma said.

"But I'm spending time with Angela," Lola argued, trying to get away.

"After we told you that you weren't supposed to go out tonight since your brother and sister are home?" Regina asked.

Lola winced and Angela backed away into the shadows. "We're going home, and then we're going to have a nice long chat," Emma said.

Lola sighed. She knew she was in deep trouble, especially since she was in a bar of all places. "Fine. Let's go home."

"Good girl," Regina said, grabbing her other arm. "It's not as socially unacceptable if I yell at you at home."


	210. Day 210: Sweet Sounds

Emma was home earlier than she had expected to be, but doubted that Regina would protest. Regina didn't like surprises, but Emma somehow had a feeling that she would like this one.

As Emma hung up her coat, she heard a sound that she had never expected to hear in the mansion. A piano playing.

There was a piano in the study, a room Emma hadn't even known existed until she had moved in, but she thought that it was just for show. Henry wasn't able to play piano, and neither was Regina. So who was in the house?

Emma was tempted to pull out her gun, but realized that doing that probably wasn't necessary. Magic was a pretty good weapon.

Taking a page out of Regina's book, Emma lit a fireball in her hand before walking slowly towards the sound of the piano.

When she got to the study, she slowly opened the door, making sure that it didn't creak and alert the intruder to her presence.

But when the door opened and Emma saw who was at the piano, her jaw dropped. Regina moved in time with the music, putting her whole body into the song she was playing. Emma didn't recognize it, but she didn't have to.

Emma extinguished the fireball in her hand, continuing to watch in awe as Regina played the most beautiful song on piano she had ever heard.

As the song ended, Emma stood there and waited. If Regina was going to keep playing, Emma didn't want to stop her. But if she were done, she would notice Emma in a few seconds.

Regina sighed before closing the cover of the piano over the keys. Emma would be home soon, and as much as she wanted to keep playing, Emma didn't know about her piano playing.

Regina turned to leave the room, jumping when she saw Emma standing there. "How long have you been there?"

"Not too long," Emma said. "But long enough. Why didn't you tell me that you played piano?"

Regina shrugged. "Didn't seem important."

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Emma asked. "That was the most beautiful piano playing I have ever heard in my entire life."

Regina smiled. "I highly doubt that, but thank you. And I taught myself how to play."

"That's amazing," Emma said. "What can you play?"

"Not anything you would know," Regina said. "I make it up as I go. I don't know any songs or anything."

"That's even more amazing," Emma said. "Can you play something for me?"

"I suppose so," Regina said, walking back to the piano bench and sitting down.

"Hold on," Emma said, walking over to her. "How long have you been playing without telling me? I would have made you serenade me a long time ago."

Regina laughed. "It isn't something I tell very many people. Back in the Enchanted Forest, only commoners played music without thinking about it."

Emma winced. She could pretty much assume that Cora had something to do with this. "Well, I think it's amazing that you can play like that. And I'd like you to keep playing if you wouldn't mind."

Regina smiled before nodding and patting the bench next to her. Emma smiled and sat down next to her, waiting patiently for the music to start. And when it did, it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.


	211. Day 211: Strawberries

**Another chapter based off of my life. Enjoy the fluff :)**

Emma smiled as she opened her eyes. It was another beautiful morning, and she was in bed with probably the sexiest woman who had ever existed.

"You're daydreaming about me again, aren't you?" Regina asked.

Emma looked over at her and smiled even wider. "Of course. That's the perfect way to wake up. Daydreaming about how much you love the person you're lying next to."

Regina smiled and turned on her side to face Emma completely. "And what, pray tell, inspired this particular daydream?"

Emma turned onto her side as well, putting her and Regina face to face. "A year ago, we kissed for the very first time."

"Wow," Regina said. "It feels like a lot longer than that."

"I know," Emma said. "But in a good way, right?"

"Of course," Regina said, leaning in and kissing her gently. "That is a very good thing. But you know what else is a good thing?"

"What's that?" Emma asked.

"It's Saturday morning, which means that we can go back to bed," Regina said. "I'm going back to sleep."

Emma laughed. "Okay. You do that. Sweet dreams."

"You too," Regina said, kissing Emma on the cheek. "Dream more dreams of me."

* * *

When Regina woke up, Emma's side of the bed was empty. She reached over and felt it, frowning when she didn't feel any warmth. Emma had been gone for a while.

Regina rolled over, smiling when she saw the present on her nightstand. Reaching over, she grabbed the lip-gloss and put some on. The sweet smell made her smile even wider.

She pushed off the covers and got up, stretching. She walked downstairs and chuckled at the sight of what Emma had made for breakfast. Or at least tried to anyway.

Waffles and pancakes were stacked, each with strawberries and whipped cream on top. Bowls of strawberries were on the table already, as well as more cans of whipped cream.

"Hey there," Emma said. "Just working on the french toast right now."

"What is all of this for?" Regina asked.

"A celebration," Emma said. "Because if we hadn't kissed for the first time, we wouldn't even be in the place we are right now."

Regina reached over and grabbed a strawberry, popping it into her mouth. "I know that. But why the big breakfast?"

Emma shrugged. "Just felt like it. I wanted to see how many things I could put strawberries on."

Regina laughed and walked around the counter, turning Emma to face her. "Thank you for making breakfast. I'm sure that Henry will very much enjoy the feast."

Emma smiled and kissed Regina. "Just like the first time," she said. "Tastes like strawberries."

 **So the part from my life is the tastes like strawberries. Apparently I always taste like strawberries. *shrugs* I just go with it.**


	212. Day 212: Heart Problems

**Another Season 6 chapter!**

Regina knew that Emma was pissed. How did she know? Emma kept pacing back and forth, not saying a word. This usually meant very bad things for whoever was the reason of her pacing. In this case, it was Regina.

"What were you thinking?" Emma hissed, pausing in her pacing to glare at Regina.

"I wasn't," Regina said simply. "I just saw her standing in front of Zelena, ready to kill her, and I had to stop her. The only way to control her is with my heart. Her heart. Our heart."

"That's not the point," Emma said, resuming her pacing. "The point is that you literally were willing to kill yourself to save Zelena."

"I was willing to kill myself in order to stop the Evil Queen," Regina corrected. "It just so happens that Zelena was her victim this time. I would have done the same for anyone else."

"But you shouldn't!" Emma exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair. "You shouldn't be so willing to kill yourself to save someone. Why would you do that?"

"Because that's what heroes do!" Regina shouted, finally fed up with Emma's rant. "Heroes save people, no matter what it does to them."

Emma stopped pacing, spinning to face Regina instead. "No one asked you to be a hero! No one asked you to split yourself into two. No one told you that you were responsible for her actions."

"I'm responsible for her actions because she is me," Regina argued. "We're the same person, just in two different pieces."

"Does it matter?" Emma asked. "Either way, you almost died today."

"I would have died in the best way possible," Regina said. "Dying to save the town from one of the most evil beings in any world."

"Dying at all isn't good," Emma said through gritted teeth. "That is the point."

"I know what your point is," Regina said. "But I'm not going to stop until the Evil Queen is gone. And if that means sacrificing myself, then so be it."

"No, not so be it," Emma said. "That is not at all acceptable. As far as I'm concerned, you're never leaving this house again. Not until the whole Evil Queen situation is solved."

"You can't just keep me here," Regina said. "You all need me. And she's technically my problem."

"No," Emma said simply.

But Regina wasn't going to cave that easily. "I can't just stay here while she destroys the town."

"Consider it punishment for squeezing your heart and almost killing yourself," Emma said. "Not at all bad considering what I wanted to do."

"Which was what?" Regina asked.

"Locking you in your vault and sealing it with blood magic," Emma said. "Then only our real family would be allowed inside."

"The Queen could still get in," Regina said.

"She doesn't want to hurt you," Emma said. "Hurting you hurts her, and obviously she doesn't want to hurt herself."

Regina sighed. "I'm not just going to be on house arrest."

"Yes, you are," Emma said strongly. "So I suggest you find a comfortable spot to spend your time for the next couple days."

"I am not staying here and sitting on the sidelines," Regina argued.

"Clearly you're in no position to make your own decisions right now," Emma said. "So I'm making them for you."

"You are not making any decisions for me," Regina said. "I can decide when I leave my own house."

"You squeezed your heart to save someone who doesn't even love you!" Emma blurted out. "You could have killed yourself, and where would that have left me?"

Regina's eyes widened. "Emma-"

"You could have died," Emma said, tears started to gather in her eyes. "I could have lost you today, and I'm telling you right now that losing you would kill me. Please don't do anything more like this. Please. I'll beg if you want me to, but please just stay safe."

"Oh Emma," Regina said sadly. She walked forward and hugged Emma tightly. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking when I did it, I swear. I won't do it again, I promise."

"It scared me so much when I found out," Emma said. "I just couldn't get the thought out of my head that I could have lost you."

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Regina said, rubbing her hand up and down Emma's back. "This whole Evil Queen deal is extremely scary. But we're going to get through it, just like we get through everything else."

"How?" Emma asked.

"A lot of love and magic," Regina said. She pulled away from Emma, grabbing her face and wiping away her tears. "You are a fighter, Emma Swan. Don't you dare let something like this tear you down."

Emma nodded, and Regina kissed her gently. "Now come on. We have an Evil Queen to beat."


	213. Day 213: Playing Dress-Up

**So does anybody else think that Lana Parrilla is like, the sexiest woman alive? Because same.**

Regina walked into the bedroom and stopped short upon seeing Emma on the bed, flipping through Henry's storybook. "What in the world are you doing?"

"I'm admiring a certain beautiful woman," Emma said, holding up the book. It was turned to the page of Regina storming into the room, successfully crashing Snow and David's wedding.

Regina reached forward and grabbed the book, closing it quickly. "Why are you looking at those?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Emma asked. "It's just a drawing of you."

"As the Evil Queen," Regina said. "My goal is to put the past behind me and move forward, but I can't when my future is digging up my past."

"I'm not digging up your past," Emma said. "It's written down for everyone to read."

"That's not the point," Regina said. "The point is that I don't like you or Henry reading this book."

"Why not?" Emma asked. "It's not like we don't already know the stories."

"You know the stories provided to you," Regina said. "There are missing stories in this book that are important to each person in it. But there's only so much room for writing."

"If you're implying that they need to cut the pictures, I'm going to stop you right there," Emma said. "The pictures are my favorite part."

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Why? That's not even the story."

"Because I don't know if you've noticed, but those Evil Queen dresses are extremely sexy," Emma said. "And I can't help but look at the pictures and wish that you were wearing those all of the time."

"They wouldn't be appropriate to wear in front of Henry," Regina said. "The point of them was to be seductive. That's how I got what I wanted."

"I can imagine," Emma said. "But since Henry isn't home, how about a little game of dress-up?"

Regina smirked before holding out the storybook. "Take your pick Miss Swan. There's a lot of dresses in there."

* * *

They only got through 3 dresses before Henry came home, but 3 was enough for Emma. At least for now.

"What did you wear to bed in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked. "I don't think that's ever covered in here."

Regina laughed. "That would be because no one ever saw me after a certain time at night. I always had my room sealed."

"Why?" Emma asked.

Regina shuddered. "Let's just say I didn't want anyone entering my room that wasn't invited. Particularly men."

"Did you block my mother out?" Emma asked.

"I blocked everyone out," Regina said. "Not even the servants were allowed in after a certain time."

"Weren't you lonely?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Those dresses were seductive for a reason. Most nights I wasn't alone, my room was just sealed."

Emma rolled her eyes. "So I repeat my previous question: what did you wear to bed?"

Henry knocked on the door, sticking his head in. "Could I spend the night with Snow and David? They want to go out tonight, and I volunteered to watch Neal for them. But they'll be out late, so I thought I would just sleep over."

Regina went to protest, but Emma grabbed her arm and squeezed gently. "I think that's a great idea kid. You go ahead and go over there, and we'll see you tomorrow morning."

Henry smiled before leaving and closing the door. Regina turned to Emma with raised eyebrows. "Care to explain why you're letting our son just spend the night with your parents after watching their baby?"

"Because I don't know about you," Emma said, leaning up to kiss Regina passionately. "But I really want to see that nightgown you wore in the Enchanted Forest."

"How'd you know it was a nightgown?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "Lucky guess. Now hurry up and show me so that I can take it off."

Regina just laughed. "As you wish."


	214. Day 214: Drop of Red

**Trigger warning for self-harm. Won't be as bad as you think, I promise.**

Regina sighed as she walked into the mansion. Emma was going to be gone for the rest of the night with Snow and David, and Henry was most likely holed up in his room.

It was times like these that Regina scared herself. Whenever she was alone, and felt alone, it always led to things that weren't supposed to happen.

Luckily, she had managed to keep it hidden from Emma and Henry. She didn't want to scare them away with her inner darkness.

The inner darkness started to get stronger, and Regina knew that she was going to have to let it out. And the only way that she could do that included a sharp object and little cuts.

She went into the kitchen and grabbed a small knife before heading up to the bathroom. The darkness could come out; she just had to force it. And even though it hurt her, it was worth it in the end. Getting it out would help Emma and Henry.

"Mom?" Henry called. "Where are you?"

"In the bathroom," Regina called back. "What do you need sweetheart?"

"Dinner," Henry said from right outside of the door.

Regina jumped at how close he suddenly was. The knife was on her skin, and she was ready to cut. Great timing Henry.

"I'll be out shortly," Regina said. "Just give me a minute."

"Okay," Henry said. He felt that something wasn't right, but how would he know? He pulled out his phone and texted Emma to get home as soon as possible. If anyone could figure it out, it would be Emma.

* * *

Emma walked into the house, and was immediately bombarded by the feeling that something wasn't right. Henry quickly walked into the foyer, ready for her to help Regina with whatever was going on.

"What's going on?" Emma asked. "It's really quiet in here."

Henry nodded. "Too quiet. She said that she was going to be out shortly to make dinner, but that was half an hour ago. She's never this neglectful."

"I know," Emma said. "I'll go see what's going on, okay? As for dinner, I'm sure your mom has some stuff that you can eat."

Henry nodded before going into the kitchen. Emma took a deep breath before heading upstairs, intent on figuring out what was going on. No matter what happened, Regina would never leave Henry alone like this.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, Emma listened for any indication as to where Regina might be hiding. Everything was quiet until she heard a sniffle from the bathroom farther down the hall. Sniffles were never good.

"Regina?" Emma called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina called back. "Just give me a moment."

Emma walked to the door and tried the handle, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt it begin to open. "Henry texted me. He said that you had skipped out on making dinner, and he was worried about you."

The knife clattered onto the counter as Regina's eyes widened. The darkness had made her forget about Henry.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emma asked. She turned the handle a little more, ready to open it as quickly as possible in case Regina needed anything.

"I'm fine," Regina said. "Apologize to Henry for me, and tell him that I'll be out shortly. You can go home."

Emma frowned. Something wasn't right still. Regina's voice had been laced with pain, and something had clattered onto the counter. Something metal.

"Regina," Emma said. "I'm going to ask you this one more time. Are you okay?"

Several seconds passed before Regina's muffled reply came through. "No."

Emma quickly opened the door, gasping when she saw Regina. The counter and sink were covered in blood, and the knife that Regina had used was in the sink. Regina herself was standing with her back facing Emma, holding her arms tightly against her chest.

"Regina, turn and look at me," Emma commanded gently. When she didn't turn, Emma reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around.

Blood was gathering on Regina's shirt, evidence that she had indeed been cutting her wrists. "What did you do?" Emma asked.

"Nothing," Regina mumbled. "I accidentally cut myself while making dinner."

"Don't even try that," Emma scoffed. "You didn't even start making dinner. The only thing you did in the kitchen was stealing the knife."

"It's not stealing if it belongs to you, Regina pointed out.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's not the point. The point is that you hurt yourself, and for no reason whatsoever. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Don't be so sure," Regina said softly. Emma's gaze softened, and she reached forward and gently tried to pry Regina's arms away from her chest.

Regina tensed and went to pull away, but Emma slightly tightened her grip. "You're bleeding and need help. Let me help you."

"I don't need your help," Regina said, trying to pull away.

"You could pass out from blood loss if we don't take care of your cuts," Emma said gently. "Regina, please. I want to help."

Several beats passed before Regina reluctantly held out her arms for Emma to assess. Emma gasped at the cuts that went up Regina's arms from her wrists to her elbows.

Hearing Emma's gasp, Regina went to hide her arms again, but Emma was too quick. She grabbed Regina's wrists gently and steered her over to the toilet, gently pushing her down. "I'm going to heal these with magic."

"No," Regina protested. "I want them to heal normally."

"But then you'll have scars," Emma said.

Regina shrugged. "It'll just be an addition to the collection."

Emma winced. "Don't talk like that. Now be quiet and let me work."

Regina went to say something again, but Emma gave her a look that gave no room for argument. Regina sighed before slumping against the back of the toilet in defeat.

Emma smiled before using her magic to heal Regina's cuts. Once her skin was back to normal, Emma gently ran her thumb over both wrists. "There. All better."

"Thank you," Regina said, going to pull away. Emma held on tighter, staring intently at where the cuts on Regina had just been.

Regina sighed before looking at Emma in annoyance. But the annoyance quickly turned to concern when she saw the look on Emma's face. "Emma?"

"Why would you do this?" Emma asked. "Why would you make yourself bleed? You could have died!"

Regina looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."

Emma sighed before gently forcing Regina's eyes to meet her own. "You don't need to apologize. I know why you did it. I've done it too. But you have people who love and care about you, and would be devastated if you died because of these cuts."

"I suppose," Regina said softly.

"What I don't understand if why you didn't say anything," Emma said. "Why didn't you tell someone that you were going through this?"

"I don't know," Regina mumbled.

Emma shook her head. "Don't pull that. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Regina bit her lip and looked down. "I'm not used to getting help. Or appearing weak."

"Asking for help does not make you weak," Emma said strongly. "Honestly, sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help than anything else."

Both women jumped as Henry knocked on the door. "Is everything okay in there?"

"He can't know," Regina whispered, starting to panic. "He can't know about what happened. Please."

"Okay, okay," Emma whispered back. "I won't say anything about it."

"Hello?" Henry called. "If no one answers, I'm knocking over the door."

"Easy kid," Emma said. "Everything is fine. We'll be out in a minute."

After he left, Emma turned to Regina. "No more of this. Okay?"

Regina looked at Emma sadly. "I can't promise-"

Emma leaned forward and kissed her, cutting her off. "No more. Promise me."

"No more," Regina agreed. "I promise."


	215. Day 215: Wake Me Up

Emma Swan wasn't afraid of anything that "normal" people were. Spiders? No problem. Snakes? No big deal. But being alone? That scared her more than anything.

As a child of the system, Emma had gotten used to being alone. But now that she had a family, she never wanted to let them go. So far she had been fine whenever Henry or Regina weren't home and she was by herself. But this morning would change everything.

Regina had decided that she wanted to surprise Emma with breakfast. For some reason, she had woken up wide-awake and motivated to get something done. Emma had been working the late shift for a while so that David could be home with Snow and Neal, so she was going to be asleep for some time anyway.

Normally, Emma would have woken up immediately when Regina got out of bed. But her exhaustion had added up, and she remained fast asleep.

Regina started preparing breakfast, smiling at how happy that Emma would be when she came downstairs to breakfast. She had told Regina when they had first gotten married that due to time in the system, she never really got to enjoy a breakfast that made her think of home. So Regina did it at every opportunity that she could.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Emma was waking up. She smiled and stretched, fully anticipating to feel her wife next to her. Instead all she felt was the empty side of the bed.

Eyes snapping open, Emma looked over quickly at the spot where Regina should have been. She felt it, and started panicking when she felt the lack of warmth there. Regina had been gone for a while.

"Little orphan Emma," Emma whispered. She tried to take deep breaths, but the panic in her started to get stronger. What if Regina had left for good? Maybe she had finally gotten tired of Emma's baggage and had just left.

Thinking of that, tears began to gather in Emma's eyes. How could she have been so weak? Letting Regina hear all of her problems had probably pushed her away.

Had she taken Henry too? If she had, Emma didn't know if she could handle it. Losing both of the people she loved wasn't something that she could handle.

Minutes passed, and Emma's panic and despair only grew. The house was quiet, which most likely indicated that no one was around. They had left her, just like everyone else in her life. Family didn't mean anything if you eventually got fed up with someone.

Emma was so caught up in her emotions that she didn't even hear Henry walk down the hall. He paused at the door to Emma and Regina's bedroom, frowning when he heard what sounded like crying coming from inside.

Smelling breakfast downstairs, Henry quickly walked to the kitchen where Regina was happily humming as she made breakfast.

"Mom?" Henry asked. "Is everything between you and Emma okay?"

"Of course," Regina said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're up earlier than usual, and I hear crying coming from inside your room," Henry said. "And if you're down here and Emma isn't, it's probably her."

Regina eyes widened. "Don't let the muffins burn, okay? I'm going to go see what's going on."

Henry nodded, so Regina quickly ran up to their bedroom. Sure enough, she heard crying. Without even hesitating, Regina opened the door and went straight to the bed. "Emma. Emma, look at me."

Emma had her face buried in her pillow, her body shaking and her breaths more like gasps. Regina shook her and tried to get her to look, but Emma remained in her position.

"Emma, look at me please," Regina pleaded. When Emma still didn't move, Regina rolled her over, forcing Emma to open her eyes at the sudden movement.

When she saw Regina, her crying started to die off, and her breaths started to even out. Regina hadn't left. She was still here.

"You're here," Emma gasped out. "I thought you left me."

Regina's heart broke. "No. Don't you ever think that. I was just up early so I thought that I would go downstairs and make breakfast."

Emma just nodded, continuing to try and catch her breath. Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. Emma squeezed back before sitting up and wrapping her arms tightly around Regina.

Regina immediately returned the hug, rubbing Emma's back gently. "I will never leave you. No matter what happens, I will always be here. You aren't alone anymore. I promise."

Emma just nodded, still clinging tightly to Regina. After several minutes, Emma finally seemed back to normal. Regina pulled away, wiping the tears from Emma's cheeks. "All better?"

Emma nodded. "Much. Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Regina said, kissing her gently. "Now let's get back downstairs. I have a huge breakfast prepared, and I want to make sure that Henry didn't burn the muffins."


	216. Day 216: New Findings

"Okay, question," Regina said, plopping down onto the couch next to Emma. "What's something about you that nobody else knows? That you haven't already told me."

"Huh," Emma said. "I don't think there is anything, honestly. You know everything about me."

"Do I?" Regina asked. "There has to be something that I don't know. It can be anything. I just want to know more about you."

Emma sighed. "Fine. But you can't laugh."

Regina nodded before looking at Emma expectantly. Emma laughed. "Okay," she said. "When I was little, I had this little doll that I would carry around with me everywhere named Lucy. And to this day, I still have her. Just for comfort."

"How did you get a doll?" Regina asked.

"There was a foster parent that really loved me," Emma said. "Treated me like I was his own daughter. He was the one who bought me the doll."

"And the other children weren't jealous?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "There was nobody else in the home except for me and him. It was a good life, and he was even going to get the papers to be able to adopt me."

"Why didn't he?" Regina asked. It hurt her to know that Emma had come so close to getting her family, and then had lost it.

"He died," Emma said simply. "It was after a big snowstorm so the roads were incredibly icy. Another car slipped and hit him head-on, resulting in an instant death. So I was sent to another home."

"But Lucy went with you," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "From that day on, Lucy never left my side."

"Where is she now?" Regina asked. She couldn't recall ever seeing a doll around the house. Unless Emma had hidden her well.

"My parents' apartment," Emma said. "I figured that I wouldn't have to explain it since their place is so princess-like anyway."

Regina laughed. "That it is."

"So what about you?" Emma asked. "What's something that no one knows?"

Regina thought for several seconds before laughing. "I used to have an imaginary friend named Bella. She made things with my mother more bearable. I didn't feel alone."

"Did Cora ever find out about Bella?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "I only ever talked to Bella when I was alone and needed a friend and someone to talk to. Imaginary friends are the best listeners."

Emma laughed. "I bet. How long was she around?"

Regina just smiled. "She's still around, just not as often. She's on her way to pick up Lucy right now though."

"Sure," Emma said. "Your imaginary friend is on the way to pick up my doll. What a pair we are."

"True," Regina agreed. "As Henry says, I do believe we are relationship goals."

Emma burst out laughing. "Hearing you say that just isn't right. Slang does not suit you."

"What's slang?" Regina asked.

Emma just smiled. "Exactly."


	217. Day 217: Snowed In

Emma groaned as she looked outside. Snow was starting to come down faster, and it most likely wasn't going to let up anytime soon. All she wanted to do was get home to Henry and Regina, and enjoy movie night. Clearly that wasn't going to happen.

"Staring at the snow isn't going to make it go away," David said.

Emma sighed. "I know. I was trying to be hopeful."

Emma's phone rang, and she practically tripped over her own feet running to answer it. "Hello?"

"Stop freaking out," Regina said. "I can feel you doing it from here."

"Where are you?" Emma asked. "Is Henry with you?"

Regina chuckled. "What did I just say about freaking out?"

"It's not funny," Emma said. "This storm is really bad and I want to know for sure that both of you are safe. Preferably at home."

"We're both home and fine," Regina said. "We got here just as the snow started to get worse."

Emma sighed in relief. At least they were together. "I don't think I'm going to make it home for movie night. Unless I fight my way through the storm."

"Don't you dare," Regina said. "You'll be just fine where you are."

"But I'm not with you and Henry," Emma said, sitting down in her chair and sighing. If she was honest with herself, this night was going to suck. She needed Regina by her to be able to sleep.

"I know," Regina said gently. "But we'll see you in the morning."

"What if I poofed home?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said quickly. "We both know what happens when you try and do magic while it's cold out."

Emma sighed. It was true. It had been a couple years since the incident with the Snow Queen, but Emma's magic still went out of whack whenever a snowstorm appeared.

"And before you suggest me poofing, let me remind you that my magic isn't the best right now either," Regina said.

Emma groaned. "Now you just made me want to get home even more."

"I'm sorry," Regina said quickly. She placed a hand over her slightly swollen abdomen, smiling as she felt a kick. Their little girl was going to be full of energy that was for sure. The only problem was that Whale had deemed it unsafe for Regina to use magic, especially since the baby was a magical baby.

"Is she okay?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled. "She's perfectly fine. Nothing is going to happen while you're gone for one night."

"You say that now, but something is going to happen," Emma said. "Just because you said that, now something bad is going to happen."

"Stop," Regina commanded gently. "The snow is going to stop soon, but the snow plows won't be out until tomorrow morning. Get comfy, and calm down. Everything is going to be fine, and Henry and I will see you tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow seems too far away," Emma mumbled.

"I know," Regina said. "But we'll make it. Try and get some sleep."

"I will," Emma promised. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said. Emma held the phone to her ear several seconds after Regina had hung up before putting it onto her desk and burying her face in her hands.

"Hey," David said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You heard what she said. We need to try and get some sleep. Things will be cleaned up and we can go home tomorrow morning."

Emma sighed and nodded before getting out of her chair and heading to one of the cells. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but it was all they had.

"Goodnight," David said, yawning.

"Goodnight," Emma replied before rolling over and shutting her eyes. That night, she dreamt of a little girl who built a snowman with Emma and Regina after a big snowstorm. A little girl named Lola.


	218. Day 218: Late Night

Regina paced back and forth, checking the clock over and over again. Emma had said that she would be home by 10, but she had yet to enter the mansion and it was 11:30.

Henry had wanted to stay up and wait with Regina, but she had sent him to bed at 10:30. No reason for him to stay up and worry when he could be sleeping instead. Besides, he had school the next day.

Sighing, Regina grabbed her coat. If Emma wasn't going to come home, then she was just going to have to go to her. She'd be leaving Henry at home alone, but he was sleeping anyway.

Before Regina could even finish buttoning her coat, the front door opened and a very tired looking Emma walked into the house.

Regina quickly unbuttoned her coat and hung it up before walking quickly over to Emma and hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness you're home. I thought that something bad had happened to you."

Emma bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain. "Nope, I'm fine. Just got caught up in the major workload, that's all. David left a lot of stuff for me to get done during my shift."

Regina pulled away and looked at her in confusion. "I thought David was working with you tonight."

"He was," Emma said. "But he always leaves me the paperwork to do while he gets other stuff done."

"Oh," Regina said. She studied Emma closely. "Are you sure you're okay? You tensed when I hugged you."

"I'm fine," Emma lied. "Just really cold. I could use a hot bath."

"Okay," Regina said skeptically. "I'll go get that ready. Take off your coat and shoes and come upstairs."

"You don't need to do that," Emma said. "Why don't you go to bed? It's pretty late."

Regina shrugged. "I don't mind. Now take off your winter things while I get that bath ready." Before Emma could protest further, Regina was already on her way upstairs.

Emma sighed before taking off her boots and delicately taking off her coat. She sighed in relief at not seeing any blood on the outside of her shirt. Granted, she had one at the station that was going to need to be washed or thrown away, but Regina didn't need to know that.

The truth was that Emma and David had gotten a panicked call from Granny that Gold had walked in, drunk, and had started threatening people. Belle had tried to calm him down, but he had just tossed her aside.

When Emma and David had gotten there, weapons drawn, that seemed to only enrage Gold further. His magic wasn't working well due to his intoxication, but he still had a temper. He came at them both, fists flying, and a shot was fired. It wasn't until after the fact that everyone realized that Gold had gotten ahold of David's gun and shot Emma.

David had tackled Gold and handcuffed him, with normal and magic cuffs, and taken him to the station. Ruby had quickly taken Emma to the hospital.

Luckily the bullet had only grazed Emma's skin, but it still had hurt. Whale had given her pain meds and patched her up, but now Emma was tasked with hiding the injury from Regina. If she knew, Gold would no longer be in existence.

Climbing the stairs, Emma winced as she got to the top. Even breathing hurt. Being shot, even by a grazing bullet, on your side was not a comfortable place to be shot.

"There you are," Regina said. "Took you long enough to get up here."

Emma smiled before brushing past Regina to enter the bathroom. "Thank you for getting this ready for me. You didn't need to."

"Of course," Regina said. "But I wanted to. Are you sure you're all right? You look a little pale, and like moving is causing you pain."

Emma sighed. "I can't tell you because you'll just freak out."

"You can't tell me that and not expect me to want to know what's going on," Regina said. "Now tell me."

"You have to promise not to leave my sight until we finish this discussion, understand?" Emma asked. "No doing anything impulsively."

"Fine," Regina said, growing impatient. "I promise not to do anything until I've heard your whole story."

Emma nodded in satisfaction. "David and I got a call from Granny that a drunk Gold was getting a little out of hand, so we went to check it out. He attacked David and stole his gun, shooting me in the process."

"He shot you?" Regina asked, her eyes widening. "Where? Did you see a doctor?"

"Calm down," Emma said gently. "It just grazed my side, that's all. Whale patched me up, and that's why I was late getting home. He wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"And is everything okay?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "I'm fine. Just sore."

"Good," Regina said. "Now that I've heard your story, I can go kill Gold."

"No," Emma said, grabbing her hand. "You're not going to go kill him. I'm fine, and he isn't worth it. Trust me. I just want to enjoy my bath, and then we can get some sleep."

"Fine," Regina mumbled. Emma smiled before kissing her and closing the bathroom door. Regina sighed and went into their bedroom. She may have told Emma that she wasn't going to kill Gold right now, but she had said nothing about later. Gold was going to pay for what he had done.

Regina looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiling when she saw the protectiveness shining behind her eyes. "And that's a promise."


	219. Day 219: Catching Snowflakes

**As I'm writing this it is snowing so bad outside. Snow may be pretty, but it's a pain to drive in.**

Regina chuckled as she looked outside. Emma and Henry were currently working together to try and build the biggest snowman possible.

They were probably freezing, and had come in several times to get warmed up, but they were determined to get it done. Regina shook her head as she made 3 more cups of hot chocolate. They were due for another break anyway.

Shivering, Regina opened the back door. "You two need to take another break! I can't have you getting frostbite."

Henry and Emma shared smiles before running inside. They both sighed as the warmth of the house seeped into their skin and warmed them up. Regina didn't even bother to ask them to take off their snow clothes and stay inside for a while. That wasn't going to happen.

"Hot chocolate?" Henry asked. Regina smiled and pointed at the counter. Henry's smile got even bigger as he ran over and picked up his mug, taking a long drink of the sweet liquid.

Emma chuckled before walking over and grabbing her mug, followed by Regina grabbing hers. They sat together on the bar stools by the counter, just relishing in each other's company.

"You should come outside," Emma said. "I know that you're not one for cold weather, but it would be nice to have you out there with us."

Regina smiled. "I don't even have warm enough clothes. I'll freeze."

"Don't you have magic?" Emma asked.

"Oh," Regina said. "Sometimes I forget about that."

Emma laughed. "So does that mean that you'll join us?"

Regina sighed. "I suppose."

* * *

They may not have gotten her to help with the snowman, but Regina was still outside and that was all that mattered.

Henry took a quick break to run inside and warm up, leaving his mothers out in the snow alone. Emma smiled as she looked up in the sky, closing her eyes and smiling as she felt the soft touch of snow on her face.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled before sticking her tongue out, waiting for a snowflake to fall on her tongue. She used to do this all the time when she was younger, and decided that now was the perfect time to start doing it again. Her family already thought she was crazy anyway.

"Now you just look ridiculous," Regina said, chuckling. "What in the world are you trying to accomplish?"

"Catching snowflakes," Emma said, putting her tongue back in the mouth and looking at Regina. "You try."

"I am not going to stick my tongue out while getting my face covered in snowflakes," Regina said.

"Come on," Emma pleaded. "It's fun, I promise. Please?"

Regina sighed. Emma's pleading look could get her anything she wanted. "Fine." Emma smiled as Regina shut her eyes and tilted her head back. She stuck her tongue out, quickly catching a snowflake on her it.

"I got one!" Regina said excitedly.

"Got one what?" Henry asked, coming back outside.

"A snowflake on her tongue," Emma said.

"Oh cool!" Henry said. "Hey Ma, I bet I can get more snowflakes than you can."

"Oh you're on," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. Sometimes she swore she lived with two children. But as she watched Henry and Emma shoving each other playfully, each trying to catch more snowflakes on their tongue than the other, she realized that she didn't want it any other way.


	220. Day 220: Elf

**So my mom is a HUGE Elf on the Shelf person. Like, she's one of those people who makes it go bowling with stuffed animals. Or has the green plastic army men tape it to the wall. It's insane.**

When Emma had first bought Holly, the Swan-Mills family's Elf on the Shelf, she had completely forgotten that Regina wasn't exposed to traditions outside of Storybrooke.

Henry and Ava were old enough to know that Santa wasn't real, but Lola still believed. So naturally she was fascinated, and thrilled, to have one of Santa's own elves in their house. Regina, on the other hand, had no idea how Holly kept moving.

She clearly knew that Santa wasn't real. But how did that thing keep moving around the house?

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing as Regina walked downstairs. She kept looking all over the house, trying to find where Holly was. How she hadn't figured out that Emma was the one behind the elf was beyond Emma, but it was funny.

Lola came running down the stairs, on the same mission as Regina. Only she seemed more excited about it.

Henry and Ava came downstairs next, both of them laughing at Regina cautiously walking around the kitchen. They both knew that it was Emma, and took great joy in how confused their mother was.

"I found her!" Lola called from the living room. "She's trying to climb the tree!"

Emma laughed as Regina practically bolted into the living room. She and the other kids walked into the living room, smiling at Regina's shocked face.

"How did she even get up there?" Regina asked.

Ava covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.

Henry nudged Emma. "You need to tell her. It's cruel at this point to let her keep thinking that Holly is actually moving on her own."

"But it's so much fun," Emma said. "Her face every morning is literally the best thing I have ever seen."

"She's got a point," Ava said. "It honestly makes my day so much better because she honestly believes that Holly is real."

Henry rolled his eyes. "If you don't tell her, I will. Before she goes around asking people if they also have a living elf in their house."

Emma sighed. "Hey Gina, why don't you come help me make breakfast? I'm sure Lola can make sure Holly stays in place."

Regina looked skeptically at Holly before following Emma into the kitchen. "I don't get how that thing keeps moving."

Emma laughed. "Because I'm the one that keeps moving her. She's not real. I move her every night before we go to bed. I'm honestly surprised that you didn't figure it out."

"I thought I was going crazy," Regina said. "Is that why everyone keeps laughing as I'm going around the house with Lola trying to find her?"

Emma nodded. "Henry and Ava know that I'm the one that keeps moving her. That's why we all found it so funny that you thought she was real. Henry made me tell you."

"Well thank goodness our son has morals," Regina said, glaring at Emma. "I could have gone on thinking that Holly was real!"

Emma shrugged. "You would have figured it out eventually. You're smart."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Not the point."

"Well on the bright side," Emma said. "Now you can help me move her to new places. We can both be Holly."

Regina smiled. "Okay. Let's both be Holly the Elf."


	221. Day 221: Sword Cut

**Another Season 6 chapter! Gosh I love this season so much.**

Regina stood there, hate practically visible around her as the Evil Queen taunted her. Emma watched her, playing off of her emotions. She wasn't going to attack unless Regina did. After all, attacking the Evil Queen would hurt Regina.

And then the Queen went one step too far. She had to rub in the fact that Emma's parents currently couldn't be together, and she snapped. She barely registered Hook telling her not to before swinging the sword and cutting the Evil Queen's cheek.

Eyes widening, Emma spun to face Regina. "Are you-"

"I'm...fine," Regina said, confused as she drew her hand away from her cheek. The sword hadn't harmed her at all.

Emma turned back to the Evil Queen and aimed to kill her, but she poofed away like the coward she was.

Emma took a deep breath before lowering the sword to her side. She turned back to Regina, who still looked stunned at the way that things had turned. The Evil Queen could be killed with the sword that was supposed to be Emma's demise.

"Let's put this in the vault," Emma said. "Then I have a feeling we have some serious talking to do."

Regina nodded. "I'll seal it as best as I can, but there's no guarantee that someone isn't going to find a way to get to it anyway."

Emma shrugged before sighing. "There's nothing that we can do to prevent that. Let's just hope that the Queen stays away for awhile now that she knows that we can actually kill her without hurting you."

"How is that possible?" Hook asked. Regina and Emma both jumped. They had forgotten that he was there.

"I have no idea," Regina said. "But for now, let's just hide the sword and go home." She turned and walked to the vault, Emma and Hook following close behind. Regina opened the doors and walked inside, not looking to see if Emma and Hook were following.

Emma grabbed Hook's arm as he went to enter the vault. "Keep watch out here. I want to talk to her alone for a little while."

Hook looked at her skeptically. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course not," Emma said. "We're fighting against Regina's evil half. Nothing is okay anymore. But I want to talk to her about something before we hide the sword. Just keep watch."

Before Hook could protest or ask any questions, Emma was inside and had shut the door.

* * *

"Where's your pirate?" Regina asked as Emma came into the room.

"He's keeping watch," Emma said. "I told him that I wanted to talk to you. About the recent development that just happened."

"I see," Regina said. She walked around the room, checking for the best hiding place for the sword. After all, it was the weapon that was supposed to end Emma's life. Hiding it well was a big responsibility.

"I'm so sorry," Emma blurted out.

Regina turned to look at her in surprise. "Whatever for?"

"She got the best of me and I just swung the sword," Emma said. "I didn't even think about the possibility that it could cut you too and that was wrong of me."

"Oh don't worry about it," Regina said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, I wasn't hurt anyway. No need to be concerned."

"So you're not mad that I could have cut you?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "Emma, I'm not mad. Even if I was hurt, I still wouldn't be mad. The Queen got the best of you and you lashed out. It's not that big of a deal."

Emma sighed in relief. "Okay. That's good."

"Why do you care so much if I'm mad at you?" Regina asked.

"Because we finally have a good relationship, and I don't want to ruin it by making it seem like you aren't important, but attacking the Queen is," Emma said.

"I'm important to you?" Regina asked.

Emma blushed. "Yeah."

Regina smiled. "You're important to me too."

Emma smiled and walked closer to her, ready to finally taste the lips of the brunette who had captured her heart.

"Are you two done hiding that bloody thing yet?" Hook called into the vault. "We need to get going in case she comes back."

Emma and Regina jumped. "Be there in a second," Emma called back.

"What are you going to do about Hook?" Regina asked. "You're dating him."

Emma shrugged. "We can deal with that later. But right now, we really need to hide this sword and get up there before he starts to get suspicious."

"Right," Regina agreed. "Let's hide this thing." She wanted to kiss Emma badly, but supposed that she could wait. There was still more evil to get rid of, and then they could get their happy ending.


	222. Day 222: The Nutcracker

**My best friend was Clara in this year's production of "The Nutcracker", so this chapter is in her honor. Enjoy!**

"I don't know if I can do this," Ava said nervously. She was sitting outside of the ballet studio, waiting for her name to be called.

"You're going to do great," Emma said encouragingly, squeezing her gently. "You've been practicing for this audition for weeks. You've totally got this."

"But what if I mess up?" Ava asked.

"Then you keep going," Regina said. "No matter what happens, keep going. You're going to do great sweetheart. I know it."

"Thanks you guys," Ava said.

Ava had been doing ballet since she was very little, even though she was passed around the foster system. She made a deal with every foster home: enroll her in ballet, and she would behave herself. Every family had complied.

When she had first been adopted by Regina and Emma, Ava had worried that they wouldn't agree to her doing ballet. Especially since the ballet studio that she wanted to attend was in New York City.

But Emma and Regina had happily agreed, and now here she was. Happily dancing, and currently auditioning for a role in the studio's production of "The Nutcracker".

The door opened and a girl came out, looking as if she wanted to cry. Ava's eyes widened. What was this audition going to be like?

"Ava Swan-Mills?" a voice called. Ava looked and smiled at seeing Charlie. Charlie was Ava's favorite dancer in the studio. She was always so nice, and always seemed to put people at ease. Especially on audition days.

Ava smiled at her mothers before getting up and following Charlie back to the audition room. She could do this.

* * *

It had been 2 weeks since the audition, and Ava was freaking out. The list was coming out soon, and she was checking the website every 5 minutes, just to make sure that she hadn't missed anything by accident.

"Ava, calm down," Emma said. "The list will be out eventually. Chill."

"I can't chill," Ava said. "I need to know if I got in! And if I got in, what role I got!"

"Your level of patience seems to have rubbed off on her," Regina teased, nudging Emma gently.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I have some patience."

"So do I," Ava said. "I've had patience for 2 weeks!"

"Ava look!" Lola exclaimed, running into the room. She was in charge of watching every 5 minutes as well, but a different 5 than Ava.

"It's up?" Ava asked. "Oh no. I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Just look at it," Emma said. "The suspense is killing me now."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course it is." Emma just stuck her tongue out at Regina.

Ava took a deep breath before clicking on the list. She scrolled down to her name before gasping.

"What? What'd you get?" Lola asked. "Lemme see!"

"I'm the Sugar Plum Fairy," Ava said in disbelief. "My very first ballet with them, and I'm the Sugar Plum Fairy!"

Everyone had huge smiles on their faces as they all gathered for a group hug. "You should go talk to Mother Superior," Lola said. "She knows all about being a fairy."

Ava laughed before hugging her sister tightly. "Very true. I'm going to be a fairy."

Emma and Regina shared a look and a smile. This was what family was all about. And they loved it.


	223. Day 223: Not Again

Regina looked at her reflection in her mirror, smoothing her hands over her dress. She twisted the ring on her finger, staring intently at herself. Did she want to do this again? _Could_ she do this again?

"You look stressed," Snow said, walking into the room. "Slightly like the last time you got married."

Regina winced. "I'm trying not to think about that day."

"And yet you are," Snow said. "Aren't you?"

Regina sighed and smoothed down her dress again. "I can't help it. The last time I was getting married it didn't turn out well."

"But this is completely different," Snow said. "You're choosing to marry Emma. Marrying my father wasn't your choice."

"I know," Regina said. "But it's just the thought of getting married again."

"Have you talked to Emma about this?" Snow asked.

Regina nodded. "Of course. But she's not here right now, so I guess I'm just stuck with you and your hope speeches."

Snow chuckled. "I suppose you are."

Regina bit her lip, deep in thought. Normally Emma would be there is ease her worries and calm her down, but she wanted to do things traditionally. So, she and Regina weren't allowed to see each other before the wedding ceremony.

"You're scared," Snow said.

Regina jumped, completely forgetting that she was there. "Of course I am. I thought we had already determined that."

Before Snow could say anything else, Henry opened the door. "You two ready to go? Everything and everyone is ready to go except for our lovely bride number two."

Regina smiled. Since her own father obviously couldn't attend the wedding, Henry was the one escorting her down the aisle. "As ready as I'll ever be."

* * *

Emma smiled as the wedding started and people started walking down the aisle. They all looked great and everything, but Regina was who Emma really wanted to see. The woman that she was going to marry.

As the song started for Regina and the whole room stood up, Emma felt as if her heart was going to burst. But when the doors opened, the whole room gasped.

"Where is she?" Emma asked, turning to Ruby. Ruby just shrugged. As far as she knew, the bride was always supposed to walk down the aisle at this point.

"Ma," Henry said, running up the aisle. "Mom ran. Said something about not being able to do this again."

Emma groaned. If only she hadn't been so insistent on making everything traditional, Regina might actually have walked down the aisle today.

"I tried talking to her," Snow said. "But nothing I said seemed to help. I don't have to same comfort factor that you do."

"I know," Emma said. "Thank you for trying. Could you keep everyone here occupied for a little bit? I have a bride to go find."

* * *

In reality, it only took Emma 5 minutes to find Regina. After all, she only had 3 hiding places.

"I don't think this is where you're supposed to be," Emma teased gently as she sat next to Regina on the steps of her vault.

"I'm sorry," Regina said. "It just all seemed too familiar and I just couldn't do it again. I know that it's you standing there and not Leopold, but I just-"

"Hey," Emma said, cutting her off. "It's okay. I understand why you ran."

"But we need to go back," Regina said.

"I'm not saying that," Emma said. "Whether or not we go back is entirely up to you. I'm not Leopold, Regina. I'm not going to make you marry me."

Regina smiled before hugging her tightly. "I love you so much. And that's why I'm going to marry you."

"Well in that case," Emma said. "I believe we have a wedding to get back to."


	224. Day 224: Shock Factor

**I'm really proud of this chapter title. Just saying.**

As Archie had warned Emma many times, anything could be a trigger for Regina so close after her encounter with Greg.

But what Emma hadn't expected was for it to be something as simply as it was. Carpet shocks were a pretty common thing, especially when you were doing it on purpose. Which she and Henry were.

"What are you two doing?" Regina asked, walking into the living room.

Henry shuffled on the carpet before reaching out and poking Emma, delivering a small shock to her.

Emma laughed. "That one was good!"

Regina raised her eyebrows. "Now what have you taught out son?"

"Carpet shocks," Henry said. "You gather up electricity, and then shock someone else. It's super fun. And they don't hurt. Usually."

"Usually?" Regina asked.

Henry shuffled on the carpet before going over and poking Regina, giving her a small shock. Regina jumped at the sensation. The last time she had felt something like that had been with Greg.

Emma saw Regina's eyes glaze over and mentally cursed. That wasn't good. At all. "Henry, go to the kitchen for a minute."

"Why?" Henry asked.

"Now," Emma commanded. Henry sighed before leaving the room, and Emma quickly grabbed Regina's arm and led her to the couch before pushing her down.

"Shock," Regina mumbled.

"Just a carpet shock," Emma said soothingly. "It was just a little one. Nothing harmful. You're not tied down, and you're totally safe. No shocks are being forced on you."

"But I felt one," Regina whispered. "I felt a shock."

"That was just Henry," Emma said. "We were goofing around and he wanted to show you what we were doing. Neither of us realized that it would trigger something."

Regina nodded and took deep breaths until she was fully calmed down. "Don't worry about it. I guess I just thought that I was over it."

"Regina it's only been 2 weeks," Emma said. "You can't get over something that traumatizing in that time. You need more than that to heal."

"I shouldn't," Regina said. "Taking that time makes me look weak."

"You are not weak," Emma said strongly. "You were kidnapped, trapped on a table without magic, and given high level of shocks for several minutes. That is scary stuff."

"I know," Regina said. "I still have nightmares about it."

"And that's okay," Emma said. "Just because you panicked at the feeling of a shock doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're human and on you're way to healing. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Regina looked at her hands. "I want Henry to do it again."

"What?" Emma asked, completely surprised. "You want him to shock you again? Why?"

"Because I need to differentiate between the shocks that Greg gave me, and the shocks that Henry is giving me," Regina said. "I don't know why, but that seems like it would help with healing."

Emma pursed her lips before nodding. "Okay. Henry!"

Henry walked cautiously back into the room. "I'm sorry if I did something I wasn't supposed to. I didn't mean to hurt you Mom, I swear."

"No, no," Regina said. "It's perfectly alright honey. I'm fine. But I need you to do it again."

"Do what again?" Henry asked. "The carpet shock?"

Regina nodded. "Not a big one, but enough that I feel it. I promise that my reaction last time won't happen again. You can shock me."

Henry looked at her skeptically before shuffling his feet and poking Regina. Regina winced at the shock, but didn't freak out. Emma smiled at her control. As much as she wanted Regina to let go and just panic and let it all out, she had to do things her way. And if her way was being controlled, then so be it.


	225. Day 225: Alcohol and Consequences Part 1

Emma Swan groaned as she opened her eyes. Last night was a complete blur in her mind, but all she really remembered was getting extremely drunk at her bachelorette party and going home with-

"Oh no," Emma said, eyes snapping open.

"Oh yes," Hook said, rolling over to face her. "Good morning Swan."

Emma groaned. "I got way too drunk last night. This should not have happened." She suddenly sobered up, glaring at Hook. "And you're not going to tell anyone. Especially Regina."

"And why would I not tell anyone?" Hook asked. "This has the potential to ruin your relationship with Regina and allow me to start things over with you."

"Not going to happen," Emma said. "And if you tell anyone, I'll tell them that you purposefully got me drunk so I would go home with you. My word against yours. Who will the town believe?"

Hook sighed. The town would always side with Emma. "Fine. I won't tell anyone."

"Good," Emma said. She got out of bed, put on her clothes, and poofed to the mansion.

* * *

6 weeks later, Emma knew that something was up. She had woken up feeling incredibly sick for several days now, but felt fine the rest of the day. But she hated doctors, and wasn't about to go to Frankenstein for a checkup. She probably just had a bug.

Stretching, Emma smiled as she felt Regina next to her. She could definitely get used to having the gorgeous brunette next to her every morning.

Suddenly, Emma's stomach revolted, sending her to the bathroom. After she had finished, she flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked, leaning against the door frame to the bathroom.

"I'm fine," Emma said, wiping off her mouth. "Just an upset stomach. I think I have a bug of some kind."

"You sure?" Regina asked.

"Of course I'm sure," Emma said. "There's nothing else that it could be."

"Emma," Regina said. "You might want to consider the possibility that you're...you know…"

"No," Emma said. "No, no, no." She collapsed onto the toilet and buried her head in her hands. She had told Regina the moment she had gotten home what had happened between her and Hook. Regina had kicked Hook's ass, she knew that he had gotten Emma drunk on purpose, but nothing had changed between her and Emma.

But it seemed like right now a lot was about to change. "Hey, hey," Regina said soothingly, crouching down in front of Emma. "Take some deep breaths. Everything is going to be fine."

"No it's not!" Emma said, starting to cry. "I'm pregnant with the child of a man who has feelings for me, and has wanted to be with me for a long time. Now he'll always be apart of my life."

"One step at a time," Regina said gently, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. "Take a deep breath. The first thing that we need to do is have you take a pregnancy test."

"No," Emma said. "I don't even want to know. I don't."

"Emma," Regina said. "Look at me." After a few seconds, Emma looked up and met Regina's gaze. "We are going to get through this, okay? We can do this. But you have to take the test."

Emma was frozen before eventually nodding. Regina smiled before poofing a box of pregnancy tests onto the counter. Emma stared at the box like it was made of poison before reluctantly pulling one out.

Regina kissed her cheek before standing up and leaving the bathroom to give her privacy. Once Emma had placed the test on the counter, she walked out and collapsed into Regina waiting arms. Now all they could do was wait.

* * *

"It's been 10 minutes," Regina said gently. "You were supposed to check it 5 minutes ago."

"I can't look at it," Emma said. "You look at it for me."

"Emma Swan, go look at that test," Regina commanded. "You are stronger than this. No matter what that test says, I'm not going anywhere, and neither are your parents and Henry. You have a huge support system, okay?"

Emma nodded before pulling out of Regina's embrace and walking into the bathroom. Regina sat on the bed and waited with bated breath. This test could change everything in a matter of minutes.

Emma finally came out of the bathroom, holding the test in her shaking hand. Before she even said anything, Regina already knew what she was going to say.

Emma took a deep breath before handing Regina the test. "I'm pregnant."

 **Okay, no hate towards Hook, I just needed a guy for Emma to do it with and he seemed reasonable. I like Hook in the show (sometimes) and he's hot.**


	226. Day 226: Alcohol and Consequences Part 2

It had been a few months since Emma had first found out about the baby and she still hadn't told Hook about it. And she didn't really plan to. Which Regina of course had a problem with.

"You have to tell him," Regina said. "It's his child too, whether you like it or not."

"As far as I'm concerned, this baby is yours and mine, conceived by magic," Emma said. "Hook had no part in this, and won't. Ever."

"Emma, this isn't the right thing to do," Regina said. "I know that it may be the easiest, but it isn't right. He at least deserves to know that he's going to have a child, even if he isn't going to be allowed to be around."

Emma sighed. "But what if he tries to take it away from us?"

"Why would he do that?" Regina asked. "Besides, no one is going to let a newborn baby be taken from its mother. Especially if its mother is the Savior."

"I guess," Emma said. "I may not entirely want a child that Hook and I made together, but I don't think an abortion is right. But I can't let Hook be around this child. You know how Hook is."

"I do," Regina admitted. "But as the biological father of the child you're carrying, you have to let him know."

Emma groaned and sank onto the couch. "What if he tries to make me get rid of it?"

"He doesn't have a say in that," Regina said. "You're the one carrying the child, it just so happens that this child also has his DNA."

Emma bit her lip. "But what if-"

"Enough of that," Regina interrupted gently. "Thinking about possible situations isn't going to get you anywhere. You just have to tell him and hope for the best."

"What if I can't?" Emma asked, looking down at her hands.

"You can," Regina said, reaching out and grabbing her hands. "Because I'll be with you the whole entire time."

Emma looked up and smiled at her. "Okay. Let's do this."

* * *

Hook had agreed to meet Emma at the docks. What he didn't know was that Regina was also going to be there. Mainly as a support system for Emma, but they had also agreed that Emma using magic was strictly prohibited.

Since the baby wasn't magical in any way, there was no telling what could happen if Emma decided to use magic, to protect herself or Regina. Regina was more than happy to offer to fireball Hook if anything went wrong.

"What is she doing here?" Hook asked, walking up to where Emma and Regina were standing.

"She's here as my support system," Emma said. "And as a monitor in case you try anything funny."

"Why would I try anything funny?" Hook asked.

Emma took a deep breath. "Because I'm pregnant. And the baby is yours from that night that we had after we were both drunk."

Hook's eyes widened. "You're pregnant? With my child?"

"Yes," Emma said. "But Regina and I are going to raise it. I just thought that I should tell you that I'm having your child."

"What do you mean Regina and you are going to raise it?" Hook asked. "I'm its father, I should get to be around it."

Emma shook her head. "I don't want this child influenced by you. Regina and I are going to raise it, and that's my decision."

"And I don't get a say?" Hook demanded.

"No," Emma said. "I'm the one carrying it for 7 more months, not you. I get a larger say."

Hook's jaw dropped. "You've been carrying this child for 2 months and I'm just hearing about it now?"

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to even tell you are not," Emma countered. "And from how things are going, I was right not to want to."

"Well you told me, which makes me involved," Hook argued. "You didn't tell Neal about having Henry."

"Because I found out I was pregnant while I was in jail!" Emma exclaimed. "That's hardly the same thing. I had a responsibility to tell you, so I did. The end."

"No, not the end," Hook argued. "Because that child still has my DNA. Therefore, it's mine."

"You are nothing more than a sperm donor who happens to be around," Emma said. "What we did was a mistake and something that I'll regret forever. I am not going to let this child suffer because of what we did. As far as the town is concerned, Regina and I magically created this baby, and we're raising it together. And if you do anything to contradict that, I'll make your life a living hell."

Hook looked at her, stunned, before slowly nodding. "Fine. Have it your way. But when that child is older and asks for the truth, you come find me."

Before Emma could say anything else, Hook walked away. "What did he mean by that?" Emma asked. "Why would the baby go looking for the truth when it's older?"

"Don't worry about it," Regina said, pulling Emma in for a hug. "He's probably just trying to mess with you."

"I guess," Emma said, relaxing into Regina's embrace. "What do we do now?"

"We go home," Regina said simply. "We could just have a movie day and relax."

Emma smiled. "I like that plan. I like it a lot."


	227. Day 227: Santa?

If there was one thing that made Regina Swan-Mills mad, it was seeing her baby girl cry. So when Lola came home with tears streaming down her little cheeks, Regina was ready to kill whoever had caused it.

"What happened?" Regina asked, kneeling down to Lola's level.

"Is Sanna real?" Lola asked.

"Of course he is," Regina said, wiping some of the tears off of Lola's cheeks. "What would make you think otherwise?"

Lola sniffed. "Billy said that believing in Sanna is for little kids. But I'm not little, I'm a big girl!"

"You are," Regina agreed. "Billy had no right to say that to you. Santa is very real, and I can guarantee that Billy is getting coal for sure this year."

Lola giggled, making Regina's anger fade a little. "That's my girl," Regina said. "Now why don't you go get a snack? I bet Ava will help you."

"Otay," Lola said. She happily skipped to the kitchen, all thoughts about Billy and non-existent Santa completely gone.

Regina, however, was still feeling livid. Who did this kid think he was, going around telling other kids the secret about Santa? True, they would have to tell Lola eventually, but right now she was still young enough to believe.

Regina stormed into the bedroom before grabbing her cell phone, ready to call Snow and ask for the contact information of this Billy kid when Emma walked in.

"Whoa, what happened?" Emma asked.

"Who said that anything happened?" Regina asked, pausing in her dialing.

"Because you have that look in her your eyes that indicates that you want to kill someone, which usually isn't good. At all," Emma said. "So what happened?"

"Some insolent child told Lola today that Santa isn't real and that he's for little kids. She was crying, Emma. Crying," Regina said. "So I'm calling your mother and asking for a number to contact his mother."

Emma quickly walked forward and plucked the phone from Regina's hands. "No way. You are not doing that."

"Why not?" Regina demanded. "This child needs to be reprimanded for his actions!"

"She's bound to find out sooner or later anyway," Emma said. "I know that it's not in the best way possible, and I know that you want to protect her forever, but this is a good lesson for her. Not everyone is going to be nice just because she's our daughter. Threatening his mother isn't going to do anything."

"Who said I was going to threaten her?" Regina asked, feigning innocence.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't even."

Regina laughed. "What would I do without you?"

"You'd kill the whole entire town," Emma said. "There would be no one left."

"Huh," Regina said. "That actually sounds quite peaceful."

Emma sighed before turning to leave the bedroom. "You're hopeless."

Regina just smiled. "I know."


	228. Day 228: Cuddles

From the moment that Emma had brought Cuddles home; Regina knew that he was going to be an issue. It wasn't that she didn't like cats; she just knew that he was going to bring trouble.

And like with most things, Regina was right. Cuddles was named for what he did best: cuddle. Only problem was that he seemed to want to cuddle at the most inconvenient times.

Today was no exception. Regina had decided to work from home since Henry had the flu, and she was sure that Cuddles would want to spend the day curled up on Henry's bed with him. But no, Cuddles decided that he would rather spend his day annoying Regina.

She was right in the middle of typing an email to Archie about a therapy session when Cuddles decided to jump onto her desk. Normally Regina would pick him up and place him on the floor, but she was too busy with her email.

Cuddles saw this, and walked over to her, nudging her hand that was the closest to him. When she still didn't pay him any attention, Cuddles got desperate. He stepped over Regina's arm, walking neatly across her keyboard.

"Cuddles!" Regina scolded. She picked him up and plopped him on the floor. "Go cuddle with Henry if you want to be petted so badly."

Cuddles looked and her and meowed. Regina lightly nudged him towards the stairs with her foot, indicating that it was time for him to go.

As he left the room, Regina looked back at her email. She sighed at all that Cuddles had typed. Instead of "Would Thursday work?" Cuddles had typed "jfkdowienk".

"What was that sigh for?" Emma asked, walking into the room.

Regina jumped. "What are you doing home? I thought you were working the whole day."

"I am," Emma said, sitting down next to her. "I just came home for my lunch break. How's Henry?"

"Doing better," Regina said. "I actually convinced him to eat some crackers earlier, and he kept them down. I think it's working its way out of his system."

"Good," Emma said. "I would hate for this to be passed on."

"Agreed, but there's not really anyone to pass it on to besides Cuddles. I haven't touched him since his vomiting began," Regina said.

"How's things with Cuddles going?" Emma asked. "He annoying you very much?"

"Yes," Regina said. "Look at my email."

Emma looked at what Cuddles had typed before bursting out laughing. "That is awesome. He just wants some love, and you weren't giving it."

"I was busy!" Regina protested.

Emma just smiled. "He doesn't care. He's like a little kid. You have to give him attention whenever he wants it, or he takes desperate measures."

"Well I can see that," Regina scoffed.

Cuddles chose that moment to come downstairs, and immediately ran over to Emma upon seeing her. Emma smiled and scooped him up.

"See?" Emma asked. "I indulge his need for attention, and he loves me for it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I have more important things to do than cuddle with the cat."

"There's nothing more important," Emma cooed to Cuddles, scratching his favorite spot under his chin.

Regina chuckled. "As long as you're keeping him occupied, I have no problem with you cuddling him."

Emma smirked before setting Cuddles right in Regina's lap. "I actually have to get back to work. Bye!"

Regina's jaw dropped. Emma quickly left the room before she could get in any trouble, although she did feel Regina's glare.

Regina looked down at Cuddles, who was happily settling down on her lap. "I have black pants on," she groaned.

Cuddles just purred and looked up at her as if saying, "Deal with it."

Regina sighed before going back to work, Cuddles sleeping in her lap. She may have white cat fur on her pants later, but a lint roller could fix that. After all, who doesn't love a good cat cuddle?

 **Cuddles is based off of my own cat, who can't go a minute without being on someone's lap.**


	229. Day 229: Fix You

Emma parked her bug on the side of the road before getting out. The night was slightly chilly, but her jacket served as enough to keep her warm. And would continue to as she walked. She planned to come back eventually, but for now, she needed to go.

She had seen the way people looked at her; especially after all she had done as the Dark One. Whenever she walked through town, she heard their whispers and knew that they were talking about how Emma had gone from the Savior to the Dark One, and was now back to being the Savior.

Emma took a deep breath and walked to the town line. Leaving was the best thing to do for now. Eventually she would come back, but she had to escape all of the memories as well.

It was hard to forget how your son had looked as he glared down at you from his room. Emma didn't blame him; she had after all ripped out Violet's heart in order to break Henry's. But that look in his eyes was enough to make her cry.

And then there was how she had treated Regina. And the fact that she had become the Dark One to save Hook, trying to convince herself that he was her True Love because she had her own issues with loving another woman.

She had gotten over them in time, and now she and Regina were together. Everyone had seen it coming, except for Emma and Regina. But right now, it would be better for everyone (Regina included) if Emma left.

Just as she was about to step over the line, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Regina demanded.

"Leaving," Emma said flatly, trying to pull away. "I thought that was obvious."

Regina tightened her grip. "Why are you leaving?"

"Because I want to," Emma said. "Now will you let go of my arm? I'm not leaving forever, I'll come back eventually."

"Eventually could be years," Regina said. "I know you, Emma. And I know that whatever is making you run has to be something that you're personally dealing with. But before I let you go, I want to know what it is."

"Why?" Emma asked. "So that you can convince me to stay? I don't think so."

"No," Regina said. "So that you can talk and finally someone listens to your problems instead of the other way around. You spend so much time fixing everyone else. When was the last time that you let someone else fix you?"

"I don't need fixing," Emma mumbled, trying again to pull away.

"Then why are you leaving?" Regina asked. "Is being in a relationship with me really that terrible that this is your only escape?"

"No!" Emma exclaimed, eyes widening in shock. "Why would you ever think that? I love you."

"Then why are you leaving?" Regina demanded.

Emma couldn't hide it any longer. Regina had a way of getting her to talk, and this time was no exception. "Because of all of the things I've done. I see the way people look at me and whisper. Some even walk on the other side of the street when they see me coming. And they have every right to. I took the heart of the girl that Henry was falling for just to break his so that I could get the tears that I needed. I became a manipulative monster that hurt everyone she loves just so that I could get what I wanted. And I hate myself for it and I have to go. I have to get away from everyone."

By the end of her speech, Emma was openly crying. Regina pulled her close and hugged her tightly, letting her cry out all of her frustrations with herself and every situation that had happened to her since becoming the Dark One, and even the Savior.

"Will this ever end?" Emma asked. "Will I ever just get to have a normal life without having to fight?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "But what I do know is that no matter what happens, your family will always love you. I know that you think leaving is the best option, but it's not. Your family could help you so much if you let them in. It doesn't even have to be your parents. Just Henry and I. Don't you feel better just telling me why you want to leave?"

Emma thought about it before nodding. She did feel better, not only from telling Regina, but also from being in her arms. She sniffed before pulling away, wiping her cheeks. "Okay. I'll stay."

Regina smiled in relief. She honestly didn't know what she would have done if Emma had left. She needed the blonde around. "Thank you. Now why don't we go home?"

Emma nodded. "I'd like that."


	230. Day 230: Tree Decorating

Regina smiled as she brought the last box down from the attic. Decorating the tree was her favorite part of the holiday season, and now she finally had someone to share it with.

Henry wasn't really a fan of decorating; he just enjoyed sitting around and watching it happen. But Emma, Ava, and even Lola were more than happy to help.

Emma and Ava both hadn't experienced very many Christmases where presents or decorating were involved, so they were both more than happy to be a part of everything. Lola just wanted to help because it looked cool and Ava was doing it.

Emma had already set up the tree itself while Regina had been getting boxes from the attic. Regina opened the first box, and began to hand lights to her wife. They had agreed that they would do the harder decorations, leaving the ornaments to their daughters.

Once all the lights were on the tree, the ornaments began to be placed. They were white and gold, which matched the living room perfectly. Emma wasn't really surprised, it was Regina after all. Everything had to match.

Ava did most of the decorating with the ornaments, mainly because Lola was too little to reach the middle and the top. Plus, she knew how organized that Regina liked things.

When everything was done, they all gathered in front of the tree. Henry walked in and turned the light off, letting the tree be the light of the room.

"It's beautiful," Ava whispered in awe. Everyone agreed, even Lola. Since she was too little to talk, she just giggled and clapped her hands.

Once everyone had finished enjoying the tree, Emma and Regina put everyone to bed. Regina had her usual story with Lola, and then walked downstairs. Unknown to Emma, there was one box of ornaments left.

Regina walked into the living room, stopping in the door frame. Emma was sitting on the couch, looking at the tree. She was completely lost in thought, most likely about her memories of Christmas.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Regina asked.

Emma jumped and looked at the door, smiling when she saw it was Regina. "Just thinking about how different things are."

"How so?" Regina asked, coming to sit next to her.

"I never had anything like this," Emma said. "Sure, there was a present from my social worker, and sometimes my foster parents. And there was always a tree. But there was never the element of family that I have now. And I love this element."

Regina smiled. "Well then you're going to love the surprise that I have for you."

"What surprise?" Emma asked.

Regina got up and walked over to her desk, pulling out a little box. "There's one more box of ornaments that we haven't put up yet. I don't think we'll put them up so Ava and Lola don't feel left out, but I thought that you would want to see them."

"What are they?" Emma asked.

Regina gave the box to her before sitting down again. Emma looked at Regina skeptically before opening the box. It took her a couple seconds to recognize what was in there, but when she did, her heart leaped.

"Henry made these?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled and nodded. "I had him make one every year."

Emma smiled before continuing to go through the box. "Wait a minute. Is this you guys?" She pulled out a square ornament that had a picture of Regina holding a baby. The baby was fast asleep, but Regina's smile as she looked at him could have lit up a room.

"That was his very first Christmas," Regina said. "He was 4 months old."

"He's adorable," Emma said. "And so little. I can't believe he was ever this little."

"And I can't believe how big he's gotten," Regina said. "I took a picture with him every year and put it on an ornament until he was about 7."

"Why'd you stop?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "He wasn't interested in doing it anymore. I didn't want to make him."

"We should do it," Emma said. "Us as a family. It could be a good addition to the very organized tree."

Regina laughed. "I like my organized tree, thank you very much."

"I like it too," Emma said, leaning over to kiss her. "But I also love our family. And I want to start a new tradition with them. Even if it's something as simple as on ornament on the tree."

Regina smiled. "Okay. Let's put our family on the tree."


	231. Day 231: Frosting Fight

Regina smiled as Emma walked into the kitchen. She had everything out and prepared, all that was left was the baking.

"What is all this?" Emma asked. "It looks like you're getting ready for some huge baking fest."

"No, we're getting ready for a huge baking fest," Regina said. "It's Christmas season, which means that we need to make the baking items."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

"Cookies," Regina said. "Lots and lots of cookies."

"You do realize that I'm not the best at cooking right?" Emma asked. "I can barely make toast. What makes you think that I'm going to be able to help you with making a bunch of cookies?"

"We'll do it together," Regina said. "Like most things, we do better together."

Emma smiled. "Okay. What do I have to do first?"

Regina smiled back before holding up an apron. "You're going to want this."

* * *

Baking was going relatively well, at least in Emma's mind. She had managed not to spill anything, and most of the cookies had made it in and out of the oven successfully. The first batch hadn't gone very well.

Now that the cookies were cooling, it was time for the frosting to be made. As with everything else, Regina had insisted that the frosting be as homemade as the cookies themselves.

Regina made the frosting since Emma had bad luck with the mixer, and Emma was in charge of the dye and mixing the frosting with a butter knife.

After all the frosting had been mixed, the actual frosting of the cookies began. Regina, of course, put the frosting on neatly. Emma, on the other hand, got the frosting on the cookie and her hand. Not that she minded. She just licked it off.

Regina looked over at Emma and laughed, seeing the frosting on her nose. "What are you laughing at?" Emma asked.

"You have frosting on your nose," Regina said. "And it's red. I should start calling you Rudolph."

Emma rolled her eyes. She went to wipe the frosting off, but then got a better idea. Smirking, she dipped her finger in the red frosting before reaching over and wiping it on the edge of Regina's nose.

Regina's jaw dropped. "Hey!"

Emma laughed. "Hi."

Regina narrowed her eyes before dipping her finger in the green frosting and wiping it on Emma's cheek.

"Hey!" Emma protested. "I was just getting back at you for making fun of me! What was this for?"

"Putting frosting on my nose," Regina said.

Emma glared at her before dipping her finger in the green frosting. Regina shielded her face with her hands, so Emma just wiped the frosting on the top of Regina's hand.

Regina put her hands down and reached for the red frosting, but Emma grabbed the bowl. Regina narrowed her eyes before grabbing the green bowl. Each woman stared at each other, holding their respective bowl of frosting.

Henry walked into the kitchen, stopping and just looking at his mothers. "What are you guys doing?"

"Having a frosting fight," Emma said. "Duh."

Henry just sighed and rolled his eyes before leaving the room. He was used to his mothers being weird by now.

"He seemed disappointed in us," Regina said.

"Yeah," Emma said. Several beats passed. "Bet I can get more frosting on you than you can on me."

Regina laughed. "You're on."


	232. Day 232: Flu Bug

Emma woke up to the sound of someone throwing up. She rolled over and saw that it was 1 in the morning before getting out of bed and hurrying to the bathroom.

Regina was sitting on the floor, her head over the toilet bowl as she threw up. Emma walked over to her and grabbed her hair, rubbing her back soothingly. Once she had finished, Regina sighed.

"I don't know what's happening," she whispered. "I just suddenly woke up and felt like I needed to throw up. And now here I am."

"Okay," Emma said. "How're you feeling otherwise?"

"Really light-headed," Regina said. "I don't want to even try moving, that's what made it so bad in the first place."

"You can't stay on the bathroom floor," Emma said. "If you're sick, you need to be in bed."

"But if I move I'll just throw up everywhere, or collapse," Regina said.

Emma thought about it. "Stay right here."

Regina managed a weak laugh. "Not like I can go anywhere else."

Emma laughed before leaving the bathroom and going downstairs, grabbing one of Regina's mixing bowls. She went back to their bedroom and put the bowl on the bed before walking into the bathroom.

"Can you put your head on my shoulder?" Emma asked. Regina nodded before slowly doing so. Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's back, and put the other under her legs.

"You're not seriously going to carry me, are you?" Regina asked. "Because that isn't bound to go any better than me trying to walk."

"No, I'm not going to carry you," Emma said. Before Regina could ask any more questions, Emma poofed them both to the side of the bed. She set Regina down carefully before putting the covers over her.

"That worked," Regina said. "Nice quick thinking."

Emma smiled. "Courtesy as time as the Savior."

Regina laughed. "Thank you. I guess I should try to sleep now, huh?"

Emma nodded. "But if you feel nauseous, that's what the bowl is for. The sound should wake me up so we can take you to the bathroom."

Regina nodded before closing her eyes. After that, she quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Two days later, Regina was on her feet and completely fine. The flu that she had was one that was going around the town like wildfire, and it was pure luck that Emma and Henry hadn't gotten it.

Regina had described for Emma what the flu had been like, and she had even said that she wouldn't wish it on even her worst enemy.

Snow ended up getting the flu anyway.

Eventually the flu went away after wrecking havoc on the town, and everything went back to normal.

And then, several weeks later, Emma woke up to the sound of Regina coughing quite loudly in the bathroom. She sighed. Now the town was going to be attacked by bronchitis.

Honestly, she preferred fighting villains.


	233. Day 233: Awkward Dinner

"We don't have to do this," Emma said, putting on her jacket. "We could just say that one of us suddenly got sick or something."

"Emma," Regina said.

"What would they know?" Emma asked. "For all they know, one of us really is sick. Or, if you want to make it really believable, make Henry the one who's sick."

Regina sighed before turning to face Emma completely. "I don't want to go to this dinner any more than you do. But we promised your parents that we would, and so we are."

"What if we 'accidentally' crashed the car on the way there?" Emma asked. "It's starting to snow. That would be believable."

Regina chuckled before walking over and grabbing Emma's hands. "Why are you so determined not to go? It's not like you haven't had dinner with them before."

"This time it's with you and we're a couple," Emma said. "Give me a list of things that could actually go right tonight."

"Nothing with an attitude like that," Regina teased. "I'm sure that everything will go fine."

Emma sighed before allowing herself to be dragged downstairs. "I hope so."

* * *

It had been the most awkward dinner of Emma and Regina's entire life. Snow and David spent most of the time talking about anything and everything that Neal had done the past week. Including using the toilet all by himself.

"And then I just had to send a photo to David because he's just getting so big!" Snow exclaimed. "Can you believe it?"

"I can't believe that you are actually talking about it," Emma mumbled. Regina kicked her lightly under the table.

"So, how have things been going with you two?" David asked. "Everything as wonderful as you thought it would be?"

Emma nodded. "Better actually. I haven't been this happy in a long time."

"So, you two have discussed the whole cursing and wardrobe incident?" Snow asked. "I mean, it was Regina's curse after all."

Emma coughed as she choked on the water she had just taken a sip of. "What?"

"Well I was just wondering if you two had discussed the curse," Snow said. "I mean, it was her curse after all that forced us to put you in the wardrobe."

Regina quickly reached over and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing it gently. This wasn't the time for an argument.

But Emma wasn't going to let anyone get away with talking like that. Even if it was her mother. "Yes, we've discussed the wardrobe."

"So you two have moved past the whole curse thing?" Snow asked.

"The curse, yes," Emma said. "You two sticking me in a wardrobe, no. I am very much not over that."

Regina squeezed Emma's hand again, hoping to get her to stop. But it was no use. When Emma was mad and on a roll, there was no stopping her.

"But we were doing it to protect you from the curse," Snow said. "If we had kept you, Regina surely would have killed you."

Regina shrugged. It was true.

"That's not the point," Emma said. "The point of tonight was to have a nice dinner with you and David, and now you've ruined it."

"I've ruined it?" Snow asked. "How is you dating the Evil Queen not ruining it?"

"I knew it," Emma said, standing up. "I knew that you weren't really going to try and be nice tonight. You know, Regina was actually the one who made us come tonight? I didn't even want to! But she insisted that things could go well."

Snow and David looked at Regina in surprise. "You did?"

"I had been hopeful," Regina said. "Now I'm not so sure I should have been."

Emma squeezed her hand and pulled her to her feet. They both started walking to the door, but stopped at Snow's call of "Wait!"

They both turned around, each of them hurt and guarded. "I'm sorry," Snow said, walking over to them. "I guess I just still hate the fact that I missed out on getting to raise my daughter. But I should move on, and I really am happy that the two of you are happy together."

"Thank you," Emma said.

"Please come sit down," David said. "We can finish dinner together and then just act like a normal family for once. No fighting or accusing anyone of anything."

"I don't know if you've noticed," Regina said. "But our family is far from normal."

"It is," Snow agreed. "And that's why we love it."

Emma and Regina shared a glance. Snow and David saw them having a conversation just with their eyes, and realized that they did the same thing.

"Okay," Emma said. "We'll stay and continue dinner."

Snow and David smiled and led the way back to the table. They all sat down and resumed eating. As a family.


	234. Day 234: Gingerbread Disaster

**Anybody remember Patches? If not, go back to Day 6 and then read this one.**

Regina smiled as she set the gingerbread house that she had made on the table. It had taken her nearly all morning, but it was finally finished.

She looked down at the nudge against her leg, and chuckled at the pleading gaze of Patches. "No, this isn't for you. Sweets like this aren't good for dogs."

Patches sat and whined. If it were Emma, Patches would have the whole house for herself. But Regina wasn't such a pushover. Patches knew it too, but she was still trying.

"What's she whining about?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen.

"She wants some of the gingerbread house," Regina said.

"Well who wouldn't?" Emma asked, reaching for it. Regina slapped her hand away. The house was for decoration until Christmas Day.

"No one gets to eat it until Christmas," Regina said. "Everyone knows the rules. Besides, sweets aren't good for dogs."

She looked down at Patches. "Now don't you go trying to eat that. It's for humans. Not dogs."

Regina and Emma left the room, leaving Patches alone in the kitchen. She waited until she couldn't hear them anymore before getting on her hind legs, resting her front paws on the counter. She had perfect access to the gingerbread house.

* * *

The day went on as usual, until Regina went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. She walked in, stopping and gasping at seeing what should have been her gingerbread house. "Emma!"

"What?" Emma asked, running into the room. "What's wrong?"

"This is what is wrong," Regina said, pointing at the remaining crumbs of the gingerbread house. "Someone ate the whole house, and I can guarantee that it wasn't you or Henry."

Patches sat in the corner, pretending like she couldn't see anyone in the house or the house that was now in her stomach.

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing at Patches. Regina probably wouldn't appreciate that. "Well she hasn't gotten sick, so I guess we could appreciate that."

Regina glared at her. "She still ate it."

"She's a dog. They eat everything," Emma said. "Everybody knows that. She's not trained enough not to be able to resist the temptation of a full gingerbread house."

Regina sighed before throwing away the remains of the house. "Need I remind you that getting a dog was your idea?"

Emma laughed. "I know. But doesn't her cuteness make up for it?"

Regina glanced over at Patches, who dipped her head and whined, as if apologizing for eating the house. Not that she was incredibly sorry. It had been delicious.

"I guess so," Regina said. "But what am I supposed to do about this house?"

"How about you make a new one?" Emma asked. "And we'll put this one under a glass lid or something so she can't get to it."

"Great idea, except I don't have another kit," Regina said.

Emma smiled and held out her hand, poofing a new kit into it. "Sure about that?"

Regina laughed before taking the kit and kissing Emma. "Thank you. Now let's make a gingerbread house." She looked at Patches. "Without anyone eating it."


	235. Day 235: Mirror to the Past

"You should clean this place out," Emma said, looking around Regina's vault. "Something could live down here and you wouldn't even know it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Please. Stop exaggerating. There isn't that much stuff. But no touching anything. I don't want you getting hurt."

"What, like this?" Emma asked.

Regina looked over at her quickly, hoping that Emma hadn't managed to grab anything that she shouldn't have. It looked harmless enough; it was just a mirror after all. "I don't see a problem with you having a mirror."

Emma turned the mirror over. "Hey there's writing back here."

"What does it say?" Regina asked, going to back to looking around. The goal was to get as much stuff out of the vault as possible, but Regina didn't really want to give anything up.

"If it is the past you seek, all you have to do is speak. Name the person you wish to see, and then go on a learning spree," Emma recited. "Sounds like you can look at someone's past through this mirror."

"How far back?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "Doesn't say. Guess as far back as you want."

"Interesting," Regina said. "I didn't even know that I had that down here. Just put it into the box of things to get rid of."

"What if I want to use it?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina said quickly. "You have no idea what that thing could do. Just put it in the box and help me sort through the rest of these."

Emma sighed before turning to the box. At the last moment, just before she was about to put the mirror in the box she whispered, "Regina Swan-Mills."

The mirror of course heard her, and sucked her in. By the time Regina turned around, Emma had fallen to the floor.

* * *

The first thing Emma thought as she looked at her surroundings was that Regina was going to kill her. Of course she hadn't listened, resulting in her now being stuck in what looked like a castle in the Enchanted Forest.

Emma groaned before going to walk towards the nearest door. Nobody seemed to be around, resulting in Emma feeling the need to explore.

Suddenly the door handle began to turn. Emma's eyes widened before she quickly turned and looked for a place to hide. At the last second, she climbed into the closet. Arriving in a bedroom seemed to have its perks.

"I didn't mean to spill tea on my dress," a young girl said. Emma felt like she recognized the little girl, but from where?

"Oh stop with your excuses," an older voice said. Emma gasped as the woman with the older voice walked into the room. It was Cora. Which meant that the little girl was…

"I apologize," Regina said, bowing her head. "I shall change my dress and then return to tea time."

"I don't want to hear your apology," Cora hissed. "I want you to be able to act like a lady all the time without doing something as ridiculous as spilling your tea. I have trained you better than that."

"Yes Mother," Regina said quietly.

"You are lucky that I have to return to the tea party, otherwise your punishment would be now," Cora said. "But since I have other duties, you will wait in your room until I return."

Regina had winced at the mention of punishment, but just nodded. Cora glared at her before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Regina walked to her bed and sat down heavily. Emma couldn't believe her eyes or ears. Cora was going to punish Regina for spilling tea on her dress? Everyone made mistakes.

Then again, Regina had mentioned several times that Cora had punished her for little things. Spilling tea would definitely have been one of them.

Emma sighed before shifting and getting comfortable. She had a feeling that she would be there awhile.

* * *

Several hours later, Emma woke up to the sound of pained crying. That woke her up in no time. Had she missed what Cora had done?

Turns out she had. And from what she could see, she was glad that she had been asleep. She wouldn't have been able to take seeing her future wife getting beaten by her mother.

Large gashes completely covered all of Regina's back, and they looked incredibly painful. Emma had no doubt that they had taken a long time to get as deep as they were, but hopefully now things were better.

Cora suddenly slammed the door open, rolling her eyes at Regina's sobs. "Grow up, you insolent child. Pain is good for you."

"Yes Mother," Regina said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Emma's eyes filled with tears of her own. "I don't want to see anymore of this," she whispered. "I want to go home."

She shut her eyes, hoping that when she opened them she would be back in the vault.

* * *

"Emma?" Regina said, lightly shaking her. "Emma, please wake up."

Emma's eyes fluttered open. "Oh thank goodness I'm back."

"Back?" Regina asked. "You've been here the whole time. All you did was pass out as you went to put the mirror in the box. I don't think you hit your head though."

"I didn't," Emma said, sitting up slowly. "But I did see something interesting. The mirror wasn't lying, I whispered your name and it took me to a day where you had spilled tea on your dress and Cora was threatening the punish you."

Regina winced. "One of the whipping days?"

Emma nodded slowly. "It wasn't pretty. I was hiding in your closet, but at least I was asleep when the actual beating took place."

"Good," Regina said. "You didn't need to see that."

"Believe me, I know," Emma said. "From now on, if you tell me not to use something in your vault, I won't."

"Of course it took you being sucked into my past for you to realize that," Regina said, chuckling. "But I'll take it."


	236. Day 236: Opening One

"So, we have a tradition around here that I forgot to tell you about," Regina said, walking into the living room.

"Okay," Emma said. "What is it?"

"We each open one present tonight," Henry said excitedly. "Then we don't have to totally wait for Santa to come tomorrow morning. He always drops off one early."

"That's nice of him," Emma said, smiling. "So why don't you open yours then?"

"I always go last," Henry said. "You and Mom have to go first."

"Oh, okay," Emma said. She picked up her present, and carefully unwrapped it. It was a little box with detailed designs on it.

"That looks expensive," Henry said in awe. "What is it?"

Emma smiled at Henry's impatience before opening the box. Inside was a necklace with a swan charm attached. "Oh my goodness. It's beautiful."

"Let me put it on for you," Regina said, gently taking the necklace from Emma's hands. Emma turned around, letting Regina slip the necklace around her neck.

"What did you get Mom?" Henry asked. "I don't see a present for you anywhere."

Regina looked around her in confusion. "I could have sworn that I saw a present earlier."

"I'll go look for it," Emma said, standing up. "Go ahead and open yours up Henry. I'll be right back."

"Okay," Henry said, picking up his present. The wrapping paper was gone within seconds, revealing the blank journal underneath. "More paper to write on! Sweet!"

Regina smiled at Henry's happiness. He had always loved to write, and "Santa" knew that.

Emma walked back into the room, carrying a small box with her. "I seem to have found it. Was hiding in your study."

"How very peculiar," Regina said, smirking. "I wonder what it was doing in there?"

Emma shrugged. "No idea. I found it simply by coincidence."

Regina took the little box and unwrapped it. She slowly opened the little box that was wrapped, revealing a dazzling engagement ring.

"Why did Santa get you a ring?" Henry asked.

"Because Santa always knows what you wish for," Regina said, not taking her eyes off of the ring. "And I wished for True Love and my happy ending."

She finally looked up, smiling at seeing Emma kneeling on one knee. Emma gently took the ring from the box. "Well since it seems that Santa is nudging us in this direction, Regina Mills will you marry me?"

Regina smiled as bright as the Christmas tree in the room. "Yes!"

Henry had no idea how this had happened, but he supposed that if Santa approved of his mothers getting married, he had no problem with them getting engaged on Christmas Eve. After all, it wasn't called the magic of Christmas for nothing.

 **Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I am officially all caught up and back on track after my break! It's great to be back, and I'll be back to posting everyday as usual!**


	237. Day 237: Sledding

**Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a fantastic time with your families today!**

Emma and Regina were utterly exhausted. After opening all of their presents, the kids had decided that they wanted to go sledding. The mansion wasn't on a hill, but Emma and Regina had agreed that they could all just go to the park.

But of course, in true Lola fashion, Lola had to suggest walking to the park instead of driving. That way, they would all definitely be in the Christmas spirit.

The only bad part was that little kids had way more energy than their parents. Lola ran ahead, Ava and Henry right on her heels. Emma and Regina walked behind them, trying in vain to get them to slow down. With Lola as the ringleader, there was no telling what would happen.

Finally, the family reached the park. Lola jumped up and down impatiently, waiting for Emma and Regina to catch up. They of course had gotten stuck with carrying the sleds.

They at last walked into the park, gladly handing off each of the sleds. "Be careful please!" Regina called after them as they ran off.

Emma chuckled and grabbed her hand. They walked slowly towards the hill. "You know, I think this is the most tired I've ever been. And we still have to walk home."

Regina groaned. "Why did we agree to coming out here?"

Emma pointed to the hill. "That's why."

Regina smiled as Ava and Henry helped Lola onto her little pink sled. They counted to three before pushing her gently down the hill. It wasn't a very big hill, but Lola still laughed and screamed in excitement.

After she got to the bottom, Lola rolled off of her sled and made a snow angel before grabbing her sled and running back up the hill.

"She's not going to be running like that in about 10 minutes," Emma said, chuckling.

Regina laughed. "No, she'll last longer than that. Have you met our daughter? She has energy to burn all the time."

"True," Emma agreed.

Lola got to the top of the hill and moved out of the way. She and Henry helped Ava get onto her sled before gently pushing her down the hill with Henry's help.

This continued on for about 15 more minutes before the kids started to show signs of being tired. Emma and Regina shared a glance before walking over. If they didn't interfere, Lola would keep going until she collapsed.

"Come on, I think it's time to go home," Emma said, picking up Ava and Henry's sleds.

"But I wanna keep going," Lola said, putting down her sled and sitting on it in defiance. She started to scoot towards the edge of the hill, but Regina reached over and grabbed it before pulling Lola back to the rest of the family.

"We're going home," Regina said, picking her up and setting her on the ground. "It's starting to get dark and cold, and aren't you tired?"

"No," Lola said, pouting.

Emma chuckled. Lola was as bad at lying to Regina as Emma herself was. "Come on Lo. We can come back tomorrow."

"Promise?" Lola asked.

Emma nodded. "I promise."

"Okay!" Lola said. She turned to Ava and Henry, who both looked completely beat. "Race you home!"

Ava and Henry both looked at each other and groaned before taking off after her. Regina shook her head before picking up Lola's sled.

"Well she definitely does have energy to burn," Emma said.

"She does," Regina agreed. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."


	238. Day 238: Agoraphobia

**So sorry for not updating yesterday! I was doing Christmas stuff, and then got a bad headache so I went to bed. Enjoy this chapter!**

Emma was forcing Regina to go to a stupid Christmas party. Snow and David were throwing it to celebrate Neal's first Christmas, and of course Emma had to go. But she didn't want to deal with her parents and their ridiculous cooing all alone.

The only problem was that Regina had yet to tell Emma about her little problem with crowds. She hated feeling weak, and admitting her fear was definitely being weak. Not to mention that it was a ridiculous fear anyway.

They arrived together, and on time thanks to Regina, and were immediately bombarded by Snow and David. Neal was dressed in a little elf outfit, and didn't look at all pleased about it.

The party started off nicely enough, with a small group of close friends. But then more and more people started to enter the apartment, and Regina felt herself begin to panic. There were too many people. She wouldn't be able to escape if she needed to.

Regina looked across the room and saw the door. There was a group blocking it, and that meant there was no way to leave. Unless she jumped out of a window. She couldn't shove past the group; that would be rude.

Meanwhile, Emma was walking around the party with Neal on her hip. Snow and David had wanted to play the good host and hostess, which they claimed they couldn't do with Neal. Emma called bullshit.

She was currently trying to find Regina, but she must have disappeared. Emma hoped that she hadn't left. After all, they had arrived together in Emma's bug, which Emma had the keys to in her jacket. If Regina had left, she would have had to walk home.

Finally Emma spotted her across the room, standing behind the kitchen counter where food was laid out. Emma smiled and headed over to her. After all, Neal loved Regina.

But as she got closer, Emma could tell that something was wrong. Regina looked frozen in place, and was shaking. Emma's eyes widened as she recognized the symptoms. She herself hadn't had very many panic attacks, but she knew what they were like.

Emma looked around her and saw Ruby talking to Ashley. Emma hurried over to them. There was no way that she could help Regina with her little brother in her arms.

"Hey can you do me a favor?" Emma asked. "Either one of you. I don't care. Just take Neal."

Ruby and Ashley looked at Emma in shock before Ruby reached over and picked up Neal. Before she could say anything, Emma walked quickly over to where Regina was and grabbed her arm.

Normally Regina would have flinched at the sudden contact, but she barely even moved. Emma pulled on her arm gently and led her away from the party back to Snow and David's bedroom.

Regina didn't even register being pulled away, all she could think of was the fact that she was going to die in this apartment, completely trapped and unable to leave. Was Emma around? Had she gotten out of the apartment safely? Regina hoped so. This place wasn't safe.

Emma pushed Regina gently onto the bed before kneeling in front of her. "Regina? Can you hear me?"

The answer to that question was no, but Regina obviously couldn't say that. She was too far into her head, thinking only about how there was no escape.

"Emma?" Snow asked, walking into the room. "Why are you in here? And what happened to Neal?"

"Neal is with Ruby," Emma said. "And I'm in here to help Regina. I'll explain later, okay? Right now I just need to be here for her."

Snow just nodded before quickly leaving to find Ruby. Maybe she knew what was going on.

"Regina, please talk to me," Emma pleaded. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on. Why are you panicking?"

Regina finally registered Emma's voice. But why was Emma still here? It wasn't safe. There was no escape, and now they were both going to die.

"No escape," Regina said. "We have to go before we die."

Emma looked at her in confusion. "What? Why would we die?"

"There's no escape," Regina said. "The only way to leave would be to jump out of a window now. The door is blocked."

Emma peeked out to look at the door, but saw no one in front of it. The group that Regina had seen earlier had moved to a new spot in the room.

"Regina, look out at the door," Emma said. "There's no one there. You can leave anytime you want."

Regina turned and looked at the door. Emma was right, there wasn't anyone in front of it. She was safe. There was an easy way to leave.

Emma sighed in relief as she saw Regina relax. She had no idea what had just happened, but it was scary.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, turning back to her. "I'm sure I just seemed insane, saying things about not being able to escape and whatnot."

"You just scared me, that's all," Emma said. "But care to explain what was going on?"

"I don't like being in crowds," Regina mumbled. "Once I'm in an enclosed space like the apartment and there are lots of people, I feel like I can't escape. There was a group of people blocking the door, which just made it worse."

Emma sighed. "Why didn't you tell me before we got here?"

Regina looked down at her lap. "Because it's an irrational fear that I can't control. A weakness."

"How many times do I have to tell you that being afraid of something isn't a weakness?" Emma scolded gently. "It's completely normal."

They had talked about this several times before, and each time with the same result. Regina would hide a fear from Emma, but somehow the fear would always become known.

"You know, you could just stop hiding these fears from me," Emma said. "I never do anything but support you with them."

"I know," Regina mumbled. "I'm just used to it."

"I know," Emma said gently. "That will be the next thing we work on. But right now, we're going to work on this fear of yours."

Regina's head snapped up. "What?"

Emma smiled before grabbing Regina's hand and standing up, pulling Regina with her. "We're going back out to the party."

"No," Regina said quickly. "I don't want to have a panic attack again. I'll just stay in here."

"No, you're not," Emma said. "We'll go out there together. Less scary that way."

Regina bit her lip before hesitantly nodding. "Okay. But slowly."

Emma smiled. "Slowly."

For the rest of the party, Emma and Regina walked hand-in-hand around the party. Regina slowly realized that Emma was right. It was less scary with Emma by her side.


	239. Day 239: Babies

**So I read this prompt and started hysterically laughing. This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Six year old Lola is terrified because she held hands with a boy and thinks that's how babies are made. After reassuring her that's not how you get pregnant, Lola asks her parents where babies come from."**

Since Emma and Regina were both at work, Snow had volunteered to bring Lola home. But when they both got a text that Lola was freaking out, each of them dropped what they were doing and poofed home instantly.

"What's going on?" Regina asked.

"I'll let Lola explain everything," Snow said, smiling. "But trust me, it's nothing that I'm sure you two can't handle. Just try not to laugh."

"What?" Emma asked. Snow just shook her head and laughed before leaving the mansion. Emma and Regina shared a confused glance before walking into the living room.

Lola jumped up from her spot on the floor and ran over to her mothers as soon as they entered the room. "I did a very bad thing. I didn't mean to, but now you're gonna get mad."

"Calm down Lo," Emma said, sitting down. "What's going on? Did something happen at school?"

Lola nodded. "There's a boy in my class who's always really nice to me, and I wanted to play with him during recess. So I grabbed his hand to lead him to the swings, and then we stayed holding hands."

"Okay," Regina said, sitting next to Emma. "Do you think we'll be mad because you held hands with a boy?"

"Yeah," Lola said. "Cus that's how babies are made, and now I'm gonna have a baby. And I'm only 6!"

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing, while Regina covered her mouth to do the same. This was definitely not what they were expecting, but it could easily be handled.

"Why do you think that?" Emma asked, once she had tucked her laughter away. She and Regina could laugh later.

"Because Maggie's mommy and daddy hold hands all the time, and she's going to have a baby," Lola said.

"Honey, holding hands doesn't create babies," Regina said. "You don't need to worry about you having one. That will be a long time in the future."

"Oh," Lola said, looking extremely relieved. "But, how are babies made then?"

Regina and Emma both shared a glance. This wasn't a conversation that they needed to have now. But Lola was a smart little cookie, and would figure out if they were leaving anything out.

"You know Lo, that is a great question," Emma said. "But that conversation is for bigger girls. We haven't even talked to Ava about it yet."

"Oh, okay," Lola said. If Ava hadn't even learned about it yet, she was okay with not knowing. Ava was older after all.

Emma and Regina sighed in relief. One day, they would have to sit down with her and explain everything. But for now, Lola could maintain her innocence.

"Can I go play now?" Lola asked. "With my new knowledge, I can safely let my dolls hold hands!"

Emma quickly covered her mouth. "Yes, you can go play," Regina said, starting to laugh. Once Lola was out of the room, they both burst out laughing.

"Everyone needs a 6 year old," Emma gasped out.

"They do," Regina agreed, holding her stomach. "They really do."


	240. Day 240: Dropped Glass

Emma yawned as she walked downstairs. Henry and Regina were still fast asleep, which wasn't a huge surprise. They both enjoyed sleeping in late.

She pulled the orange juice out of the fridge and set it down on the counter before opening the cabinet to grab a glass to pour it into. But in her still slightly sleepy unawareness, Emma dropped the glass to the floor.

It shattered everywhere, and Regina woke up from the noise. Her first thought was that someone had broken into the house, but Emma was out of bed. Regina shook her head and sighed before getting out of bed.

Emma, meanwhile, was freaking out downstairs. She had heard Regina get out of bed, and knew that she had to clean the glass up. Not because she was afraid that someone would get hurt, but because she was afraid of being punished.

Emma quickly dropped to the floor and began to pick up the glass with her hands, not even noticing as it began to pierce her skin and cut her. Blood started dripping from her palms, but all Emma could focus on was getting the glass cleaned up.

Regina came downstairs at that moment, looking around in confusion at not seeing anyone in the kitchen. Hadn't she heard a glass shatter?

She walked forward and finally saw Emma on the floor picking up the glass. "Emma, what are you doing?"

"I just, um, found this glass on the floor," Emma said, looking at the glass still on the floor. "I don't know what happened, but I figured that I should clean it up."

"You don't know what happened?" Regina asked.

Emma bit her lip. "Nope. Just came down to it like this."

Regina walked over and knelt down on the floor in front of her. "Are you sure? Because you're the only one who's been down here this morning. And I doubt anyone would break into our house."

Emma clenched her fists, digging the glass even further into her palms.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "What are you doing to your hands? You never pick up glass, you sweep it up and throw it away."

"I just needed to get it cleaned up before you came downstairs," Emma said softly. "I didn't want you to see the mess I made and punish me for it."

"Oh Emma," Regina said. She gently grabbed Emma's hands and opened them up. She picked all of the glass, now bloody, from Emma palms and threw it away before using her magic to heal all of the little cuts that the glass had created.

"Thank you," Emma said softly. "Sorry for the mess."

"It's just some broken glass," Regina said. "I have plenty more glasses just like it. It's really nothing to be worried about."

"I should finish cleaning it up," Emma said.

"Hold on," Regina said. "I can take care of it. But I want an explanation of why you thought that I was going to punish you."

Emma winced. "Foster parents. You break enough things and they begin to punish you for it."

"I see," Regina said. "Well I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not going to punish you for that. Ever. It's just a little bit of broken glass that can easily be fixed."

"I guess," Emma said.

Regina waved her hand, instantly holding a new glass. "There. New glass to replace it."

Emma smiled. "That wasn't really necessary, but I got your point."

"Good," Regina said. "Now can we get off of the floor? My legs are starting to fall asleep, and I haven't peed yet this morning."

Emma laughed before standing up and pulling Regina to her feet. "Go pee. I'm going to pour myself a glass of orange juice."

 **Some prompts would be greatly appreciated!**


	241. Day 241: Heartbreak

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Ava's first heartbreak"**

Regina and Emma were having a nice peaceful night when Ava came storming through the door and ran up to her room.

"One night," Emma groaned. "That's all I asked for. One night of peace and quiet."

Regina laughed before standing up, pulling Emma with her. "Come on. Something had to have happened for her to act like that."

Emma sighed. It was true. Out of the 3 kids, Ava was usually the one that remained calm at all times. Even Henry overreacted more than Ava did.

They got to Ava's room and heard nothing from inside. That was typical of Ava though, she would often read without any noise, leading everyone in the house to think she was dead until she came down for a meal.

Regina knocked gently on the door. "Ava? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Ava said. "I'm fine."

Regina looked at Emma. Emma shook her head. "Not fine," she whispered. "I've used that fine before. Something's up."

Regina nodded. "Are you sure? You came into the house quite quickly and ran up to your room."

"I said I'm fine," Ava said. "Now can you just leave me alone? I have some studying that I need to get done."

Emma reached out and tried the doorknob, nodding at Regina when it turned. Regina nodded back, and Emma opened the door.

"Hey!" Ava protested. "Who gave you guys the right to just barge into my room?"

"We're your mothers," Emma said. "That automatically gives us permission to violate any of our children's privacy."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Well you can go now. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Emma said, walking over and sitting on the bed next to her. "Why don't you tell me what's really going on?"

"Nothing," Ava said.

"Even I could detect that lie," Regina said, sitting on the other side of Ava. "And I don't have the superpower."

Ava smiled. "That was a bad one. Didn't sound very convincing."

"So then spill it," Emma said, poking her.

Ava laughed. "Okay." Her smile suddenly disappeared, and tears started to gather in her eyes. "Julian and I broke up."

Emma and Regina shared a glance. They had both seen this coming. After all, Julian was the popular kid that everybody loved, and Ava was the bookworm that everyone knew of. They had suspected for a while that Julian didn't have the best motives when dating Ava, but they had hoped that they would have been proved wrong.

"Did he give you a reason why?" Regina asked.

Ava swiped angrily under her eyes to clear the tears away. "He told me that he had gained the popularity that he had hoped to while dating the daughter of the Savior and the Mayor. What a jerk. I can't believe I ever had feelings for him."

"I know," Emma said, reaching out to rub Ava's back soothingly. "But someday, you're going to find someone who loves you for you, not who your parents are."

"Yeah, I guess," Ava said.

"You're an amazing person," Regina said. "Anybody would be very lucky to date you. Trust me, Julian will soon see what he's missing out on."

"Very true," Emma said. "And if it makes you feel any better, I could also arrest him for some dumb reason just to scare him."

Ava laughed. "No, don't do that. He's not worth it."

"Tell you what," Regina said. "We'll leave you alone and let you read for the rest of the night. Not even Lola will bother you. How's that sound?"

Ava smiled. "Like the perfect heartbreak treatment."

"Deal," Emma said, pulling her in for a hug. "Have fun reading." She got up from the bed and quickly left the room, hoping to get a head start on Regina.

Regina quickly gave Ava a hug. "If I know your ma like I think I do, I need to go stop her before she looks up Julian's address and kills him."

"She wouldn't do that," Ava said. "Right?"

"Oh she would," Regina said. "Have fun reading. I'll check in on you later." She quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs in time to see Emma grabbing her badge and putting on her coat.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, stepping in Emma's path.

"Going to show this kid what happens when you mess with our daughter," Emma said.

"Think about it before you just do something stupid," Regina said. "He broke up with her because he got the popularity that he wanted. If you go and threaten him, he'll just start talking about that and get even more attention. Do you want him to get even more attention?"

"No," Emma mumbled.

Regina chuckled. "Take your coat off and put your badge away. No sheriffing for you tonight."

"That's not even a word," Emma said, but obediently took off her coat.

Regina shrugged. "It is now."


	242. Day 242: Growing Pains

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Regina finds her first grey hair and Emma teases her about getting older. Later that day Emma mildly hurts her back doing something mundane, causing Regina to mock her in turn."**

 **Please leave more prompts; I'm running out of ideas!**

Emma knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you still alive in there?"

Regina laughed. "Yes, I'm still alive. I'll be out shortly."

"What's taking you so long?" Emma asked. "I know you value your beauty, but it never takes you this long to get out of the bathroom."

"Maybe I'm putting in some extra effort," Regina said.

"Or maybe you're hiding something," Emma said, opening the door.

"Emma Swan!" Regina protested. "What are you doing just barging in here? I could have been naked!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Like I haven't seen you naked before."

Regina blushed. "Touché."

"So what's taking you so long?" Emma asked again. "You look completely ready to me, and we have to get going if we're going to make it to my parents' house on time."

Regina sighed. "Do we have to go?"

"Yes," Emma said. "We have to help them."

Since Neal was getting older, and another baby was on the way, Snow and David had sold their little apartment, and were moving to a bigger house on the outskirts of town. Their hope was that being out there would save them from getting into any more trouble. Emma just thought it was too far away for help to get to them easily.

"So your pregnant mother can fight off the Wicked Witch, but can't lift a few boxes?" Regina asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're rather stubborn this morning."

"I'm always stubborn," Regina said, smirking. "And you love me for it."

"I do," Emma admitted. "But, back to the conversation at hand. What the heck is taking you so long in here if you're ready to go?"

Regina sighed. "This." She reached up and pointed to her hair.

Emma squinted and looked at the spot where Regina was pointing. "I don't see anything. What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"The grey hair," Regina said. She turned her head and found it, pulling it not too gently from her head. "I just saw it this morning, and I just kept staring at it. You know what a grey hair means?"

"That you're getting old," Emma teased. "You cute old lady, you."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"I know," Emma said, kissing her cheek. "Stop worrying about it. You still look beautiful no matter what color your hair is."

"Sure I do," Regina grumbled.

Emma chuckled before leaving the bathroom. "Come on, we have to get going. You need a cane to make it down the stairs?"

Regina glared at Emma's retreating form before following her. "Not. Funny."

* * *

"Why do you guys have so many boxes?" Emma asked, following David into the apartment.

David shrugged. "No idea. You'd have to ask your mother. I just moved in after the curse broke. All of this stuff was here."

"Actually, you'd have to ask Regina," Snow said, walking into the room. "The apartment came with the curse. I have no idea where all of this stuff came from."

Regina walked in at that moment, stopping when she saw Emma and her parents staring at her. "What? I swear I didn't do anything."

"We didn't think you did," Snow said quickly. "We were just wondering where all of this stuff came from. After all, you must have done the decorating when the curse was enacted."

Regina shrugged. "I planned it to slightly resemble your room as a child."

Snow looked around the apartment, and found that Regina was right. All of the designs were close to what her room as a child had looked like. With a lot less pink of course.

David cleared his throat. "We should start moving some of these boxes. The couple moving in said they wanted to get settled this afternoon."

"Who bought this place anyway?" Emma asked, walking over to pick up a box.

David smiled. "Ashley. Said that she wanted a place that was owned by us to raise her daughter in."

"And the Snow White and Prince Charming fan club lives on," Regina mumbled.

Emma snorted as she walked by with the box she was carrying. "Play nice."

Regina just smiled and picked up a box of her own, carrying it down after Emma. Emma placed her box in the moving van before taking Regina's and placing it in as well. She felt a slight pull in her back and winced, straightening up and stretching.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emma said, rubbing her lower back. "I must have pulled something putting those boxes in."

Regina smirked. "What?" Emma asked.

"Oh, nothing," Regina said, turning and walking back to the apartment.

"Regina," Emma whined, following after her.

"I was just thinking is all," Regina said.

"About what?" Emma asked, catching up to her.

Regina looked over at her with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Who's the old lady now?"


	243. Day 243: New Year

**If any more celebrities die this year, I'm gonna be pissed.**

 **By the way, please please PLEASE review some prompts for me! I can't keep using the same people over and over again, as much as I love their prompts. I can't do this story without you guys, so please. Review.**

Popcorn had been made, board games had been set out, and the TV was tuned in to the ball drop. They lived close enough to New York City that they probably could have gone there to actually see the ball drop themselves, but Emma knew that Regina didn't like leaving town.

Regina actually had no idea that this ball drop tradition was a thing until Emma had mentioned it last night. Henry had heard of it, but had never seen it. Emma, faking outrage, had told them that this year all three of them would be watching.

The only problem was getting Regina and Henry to stay awake until midnight. Emma would have no problem doing it; she was a night owl and loved to stay up as late as possible. Even if she did regret it the next morning.

Henry wasn't a night owl, or a morning person, so he had never stayed up past 9. That was Regina's well-enforced bedtime for him.

The only times that Regina had stayed up until midnight and longer was if she had nightmares, especially right after Neverland.

Regardless, Emma was determined to make them watch the ball drop. Even if that meant having to shake them awake every 5 minutes.

The night started off easy enough, with the three of them playing board games and having a good time. But they eventually got tired of the games, and just ended up watching reruns of "Friends".

Regina tried to insist after the first episode they watched that this show wasn't appropriate for Henry, but he himself told her that most of the sexual references said were ones that he understood from the talk at school. Regina vowed to let him never go to school again.

After about 10 more minutes, Henry's eyes began to droop. Emma reached forward to shake him awake, but Regina grabbed her arm. "Let him sleep. Trust me, tomorrow morning will be a lot easier if we just let him sleep."

Emma sighed before sitting back. "But the point is that we all stay awake."

"So that he can see us kiss as the ball drops?" Regina asked, smirking.

"You know about that?" Emma asked. "I didn't think you knew anything about the traditions of New Years."

Regina shrugged. "I may have gone to a party or two during the curse where the tradition was made known to me."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "Who did you kiss?"

"My, my, is the Savior jealous?" Regina teased.

"No," Emma huffed, crossing her arms. "The Savior is most definitely not jealous."

Regina chuckled. "If you must know, it was Graham. Nothing that you didn't know about already."

Emma nodded. "Good."

"What, did you think I would have kissed Ruby?" Regina teased.

"Did you?" Emma asked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't kiss Ruby. I was joking. Where is this jealousy coming from all of a sudden?"

Emma shrugged. "Stupid alcohol."

"You've had one glass of champagne," Regina said. "If that's all that it takes to make your mind become fuzzy, we might have a problem."

Emma laughed. "No, that's not what I meant. Alcohol makes my mind harder to control, and all of those ugly insecurities come out."

Regina's gaze softened. "Emma-"

"Did I miss it?" Henry asked, suddenly wide-awake.

Emma and Regina jumped. "No, you didn't miss it," Emma said. "We have about 10 more minutes."

Henry nodded and sighed in relief. "Okay, good. I'll be right back though. All of that juice is catching up with me."

Emma and Regina both laughed as Henry got up and ran to the bathroom. Once Regina heard the door close, she grabbed Emma's hand to get her attention. "I'm going to say this quickly because our son is going to rush out of there as fast as he can."

Emma laughed. "Good point."

"I only mentioned Ruby just as a joke," Regina said. "If we're being entirely honest, which we always are, you are the first woman that I've even considered being with."

"I know," Emma said. "Like I said, stupid alcohol. I normally would be able to tell myself that, but I've had more than one glass. You just haven't noticed."

"Is that why you keep sneaking off to the kitchen?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "But if it makes you feel any better, I have been getting more snacks."

Regina rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"

Emma laughed. "Well when the ball drops, you're going to kiss me. We can see what happens after that."

"That was something I did not need to or want to hear," Henry said, walking back into the room. He stretched and yawned. "How much longer until I can go to bed?"

"30 seconds," Emma said. She unmuted the TV, allowing the sounds of an excited crowd in New York City to be heard throughout the living room.

The crowd started counting down the seconds, and then the ball dropped. Henry cheered, and Regina and Emma kissed.

"Happy New Year," Emma said.

Regina smiled. "Happy New Year."


	244. Day 244: Causing Trouble Part 1

**This chapter is for tvaddict2011 with the prompt: "An old friend of Emma's comes to visit and the kids don't like them (your pick why they don't) so they cause some trouble until they leave"**

 **This reminded me a bit of Nanny McPhee to be perfectly honest. Thank you for the prompt, and enjoy!**

"Henry, Henry, come quick," Lola said, running into Henry's room.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Lola, how many times do I have to tell you to knock on my door? You don't just go bursting into other people's rooms."

Lola rolled her eyes before taking a step back and knocking on Henry's door. With as much sass as possible of course.

"What do you want?" Henry asked. "I'm right in the middle of something."

"Yeah, reading some stupid magazine," Lola said. "Someone just pulled into the driveway. And it's not someone from town either. This person isn't from here, and hasn't visited before."

Henry's eyes lit up. He loved investigations, and this sounded like an investigation. If someone new had come to town, and was visiting their house, things were about to get very interesting. Regina didn't like unexpected visitors.

But what they didn't know was that this visitor wasn't unexpected. For Regina anyway. She had called up an old friend of Emma's from one of her nicer foster homes, and had invited her to come and visit Emma in their town. The friend had agreed to come, especially if it meant seeing Emma again.

Regina hoped that seeing this friend would make Emma remember the good times that she had experienced while still in the system. Her nightmares were getting worse.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Henry asked. "Did you tell Ava yet about this?"

"Duh," Lola said, rolling her eyes. "I tell her everything before I tell you."

"Gee thanks," Henry grumbled before getting off of his bed. Lola just shrugged before following him to her bedroom, where Ava was already waiting.

"Took you long enough," Ava said. "Let me guess, he was reading his sports magazine again?"

"You bet," Lola said, carrying a chair over to her window to get a better view. "Any idea who our visitor is yet?"

"Nope," Ava said. "Mom went outside to greet her though. They've been talking since you left to go get Henry."

"I don't recognize her either," Henry said. "She can't have been from Mom's past, she lived in the Enchanted Forest and then here."

"Maybe Ma knows her then," Ava said.

"She gives me a bad feeling," Lola said. "Like something bad is going to happen because she's here."

Ava and Henry shared a glance. Lola's intuition was usually right, especially when it came to people. She seemed to have acquired a bit of Emma's superpower in that regard.

"Maybe we go down and meet her?" Ava suggested.

"No need," Henry said, pointing. "Looks like they're on their way inside, and I'm sure Mom will be up in a little bit to collect us to meet our guest. We just have to sit tight and wait."

* * *

Regina never did come to collect them. They ended up going back to Henry's room and starting to play video games. Whoever this guest was, she was obviously important.

After a while, everyone got tired of the video games. "Let's go get a snack from downstairs," Henry suggested, getting up. Lola and Ava gladly followed him down to the kitchen.

They heard voices from the living room, but knew better than to investigate. Regina hated eavesdropping, especially when her children did it. She had raised them better than to listen to other people's conversations.

But this time was different. Why had Regina invited a complete stranger into their home and not warned them? Or had them come down to meet their guest?

Lola stopped and waited for Henry and Ava to walk into the kitchen before sneaking over to the entrance to the living room. She was hidden in the shadows, but was close enough to be able to hear the conversation going on.

"I haven't seen Emma in years," the guest said. "How has she been?"

"Things are complicated around here," Regina said with a chuckle. "But I do think that she is fairly happy."

"And you two are married?" the guest asked. "With children?"

Regina nodded, although Lola couldn't see that part. "We've been married for about 8 years now, and have 3 children. Henry, Ava, and Lola."

"How cute," the guest said. "I never thought that Emma would ever come out to anyone, although I had suspected for awhile that she had feelings for women. I'm glad that she gets to be herself around you."

Lola's radar went off. This woman was telling a lie, and a very big one. But Regina didn't have Lola's superpower, and thought that the guest was telling the truth instead of just trying to win her over.

"Emma should be home any minute," Regina said. "Thank you so much for coming all of this way just to see her. I know that she'll be delighted to see an old friend."

Lola had had enough. She wanted to see who this intruder was, and what her business was doing here. Peeking around the corner, she caught a glimpse of the guest sitting in her chair. She was wearing as fancy clothes as Regina was, holding herself with poise and grace. The only difference between herself and Regina was their hair and skin colors. The guest had blonde hair, and was as pale as Snow White. Lola giggled at the comparison.

"Lola," Henry hissed, making her jump. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to eavesdrop on Mom's conversations."

"Something isn't right," Lola whispered. "This lady isn't who she says she is at all. My lie detector is going off big time."

"We can't do anything about it now," Henry said. "Come on, Ava and I made snacks. Ma can deal with this when she gets home."

Lola glanced at the doorway of the living room again before following Henry out to the kitchen. Something was up, and it wasn't good.

* * *

Emma ended up texting Regina that she would be late getting home, so Regina decided to introduce their guest to the kids. There was nothing else really to do anyway.

"I think they're all upstairs," Regina said. "I'll just be right back."

She left quickly, not even noticing the kids sitting around the counter in the kitchen, discussing the guest and Lola's weird feeling about her.

"She feels off," Lola said. "Like she's not really who Mom thinks that she is."

"Then how would she even get into town?" Ava asked. "Wouldn't Mom have had to let her into the town in the first place?"

Henry shook his head. "The barrier is down for some reason. Anyone can enter or leave the town."

"So what do we do?" Lola asked. "We can't let Ma come home and see that we've let someone sketchy into the house."

"Wait a minute though," Henry said. "You said she was mentioning not seeing Ma in ages, which means that the two of them go way back. What if they're old friends and we're reading too much into this?"

Ava shook her head. "I don't think-"

All three kids jumped and turned to the doorway of the kitchen as they heard the scuffle of a shoe on the floor.

"Who's there?" Henry asked, stepping in front of his sisters.

The stranger stepped into the kitchen. "I'm sorry for startling you. Your mother told me to wait in the kitchen for her."

Lola's lie detector went off again. Regina never let people just walk around the mansion, especially visitors. She shared an uneasy look with Ava and Henry. This woman was off.

"Who are you?" Lola asked bluntly.

The guest smiled kindly, like she was used to young children questioning her. "My name is Sophie. I'm an old friend of your mother's."

"Which one?" Ava asked, looking at Sophie skeptically.

"Emma," Sophie said. "I was with her in one of her better foster homes. She and I got very close over the years, and Regina asked me to visit."

Lola's lie detector went off even louder, but before she could say anything more, Regina walked into the room. "There you three are. I thought you were upstairs."

"We got hungry," Henry said, shrugging.

Just then, the front door opened and closed, alerting everyone to the fact that Emma was home. The three kids quickly ran to the foyer to greet her, followed by Regina. No one noticed when Sophie began rummaging around the kitchen for anything to take with her.

"What's with the welcoming committee?" Emma asked, laughing.

"We missed you," Lola mumbled, holding onto Emma tightly. "By the way, there's some weird lady in the house."

"Lola," Regina scolded.

Lola just shrugged. "I have a bad feeling about her, that's all. Where is she anyway?"

"Right here," Sophie said, walking into the foyer. "I'm assuming you were talking about me, since I am the only one missing after all."

Emma looked at Sophie with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

Sophie looked at Emma sadly. "I know that it's been a while, but did you really forget me? We were best friends once. You were a foster kid with me, and then I was adopted and you were moved to another family."

Emma shook her head. "I never made any friends but Lily."

The bad feeling in Lola was slowly starting to get worse. Regina just looked back and forth between Emma and Sophie before grabbing Emma's hand gently. "Maybe we should all have dinner. Sophie can stay the night, and then we can talk tomorrow morning about all of this."

The kids all looked to Emma, who just nodded. It couldn't hurt to have Sophie overnight. Right?

 **This is already so long that I decided to make it two parts. See you tomorrow! That's when the fun will really begin.**


	245. Day 245: Causing Trouble Part 2

Ava woke up to hear knocking at her door. She rolled over to look at her clock and groaned as she realized what time it was. Who was knocking on her door at 2 in the morning?

The knocking persisted, so Ava got up and opened her door. Lola was standing there, wide-awake and not looking ashamed of herself at all. "Hi."

"What are you doing out of bed at this time?" Ava asked, yawning.

"The weird woman, Sophie, is downstairs," Lola whispered. "I keep hearing her opening cupboards and stuff. That seem normal to you?"

"Not at all," Ava said. "Did you wake up Henry yet?"

"Was just about to do that now," Lola said. She grabbed Ava's hand and dragged her down the hall as quietly as possible to Henry's room. If Emma or Regina woke up and found them out of bed, the whole thing would be over.

"Do we knock?" Ava asked.

"He won't wake up even if we do," Lola said, opening Henry's door. "He sleeps like the dead."

Ava giggled at her little sister's wording before following her into Henry's room and shutting the door behind her. Lola ran over and jumped on Henry's bed, shaking his sleeping form until his eyes groggily opened. "What the-"

"Shhh," Lola hissed. "If you wake up Mom or Ma, this whole thing will be over before it even starts."

"What will be over?" Henry whispered. "What the heck are you doing up? And in my room?"

"Sophie is downstairs going through our stuff," Ava explained. "Lola woke up and saw her. We have to stop her and make her leave."

Henry's brow furrowed in confusion. "But she's an old friend-"

"No, she's not," Lola interrupted. "Ma has no idea who she is, but Mom thinks that she's faking it so that she doesn't have to face her past. Whoever Sophie is, she definitely isn't an old friend of anybody in this town."

"So, what do we do?" Henry asked. "It's not like we can go down and confront her, because then we'll put ourselves in danger. We have no idea what this woman is capable of."

Lola smirked and held up her hands. "I think a little magical mischief is required."

Henry and Ava shared a glance before smirking back. This was going to be a lot of fun.

* * *

All 3 of the Swan-Mills children crept as quietly as possible out of Henry's bedroom and down the hall to the stairs. Now that they were closer to the kitchen, Henry and Ava could hear what Lola had been talking about. Someone was definitely going through the supplies downstairs.

"Remember the squeaky stair," Lola whispered.

Henry and Ava both looked at her in surprise. "How many times have you snuck downstairs in the middle of the night?" Henry asked.

Lola shrugged. "I get hungry a lot." Ava covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

They each went down the stairs one at a time, all of them successfully avoiding the squeaky stair. They gathered together in the foyer, silently nodding when they were ready for the fun to begin.

Henry and Ava went to the entrance to the kitchen, both of them standing on either side of it. Lola concentrated before poofing string into their hands. They smiled at her before kneeling on the floor, pulling the string tight. If Sophie tried to run, she'd find herself tripped by the string that she couldn't see.

Lola smiled back at them before turning herself invisible. If she was honest with herself, sometimes her powers scared her. Not only was she the product of True Love, her mothers were the most powerful people with magic that anyone knew. Besides Gold of course.

Lola's part of the plan was probably the most important. While she didn't want to wake up her mothers, they needed to see what Sophie was doing and make her leave. Lola walked into the kitchen, fury building up inside of her as she saw the state of the kitchen.

Sophie had gone through every nook and cranny, taking anything valuable and sticking it into a bag on the floor. She was dressed in her clothes from the day before, and looking completely energized as she stole from the Swan-Mills kitchen.

"You picked the wrong family to mess with," Lola mumbled. The first thing she did was poof the bag of goodies out into the hallway. When Sophie went to throw another glass into the bag, it fell to the floor, noisily shattering.

Sophie whirled around and stared at the damage, wondering where the heck her bag had gone. She held her breath for several seconds before sighing in relief. No one had woken up at the sound.

Lola smiled at her panic before making the lights flicker. This was the classic horror film move, and tonight it worked perfectly. Sophie looked up in terror at the lights, sighing in relief when they calmed down.

Lola sighed in frustration. Why wasn't Sophie getting the message and leaving? It would be so much easier if she just did that.

But thieves are desperate, and Sophie was no exception. As she reached to take one of Regina's most prized possessions, a beautiful china vase that Emma had gotten her for her birthday, Lola snapped. Who did this woman think she was?

Lola used her magic to rattle the doors on all of the cupboards, and Sophie screamed. She instantly covered her mouth after she had, but the damage had been done. Lola glanced up as she heard the door to Regina and Emma's room hit the wall as it was thrown open. Sophie tried to run for it, but tripped on the string that Henry and Ava were holding.

"What in the world is going on down here?" Regina demanded, waving her hand to turn on the lights.

"Henry? Ava?" Emma asked. "What are you doing?"

"Um...there's an explanation for all of this I swear," Henry said. Ava nodded in agreement.

Lola walked out of the kitchen, visible again. "Sophie was stealing all of that from the kitchen." She pointed to the bag, and then glared at the woman still lying on the floor.

"I can explain," Sophie said weakly.

"You better," Emma said. "Who are you, and what do you think you're doing claimed to be an old friend of mine?"

"When your wife called the agency, looking for anyone that you would know from your fostering days, I was outside raiding the trash. It was easy for me to walk in and claim that I was looking for an old friend of mine named Emma Swan," Sophie said. "They were stupid enough to believe me when I said it, and gave the contact information for you."

Emma looked at her with nothing but fury. "How dare you. How dare you come in here and claim to be a friend of mine. Get out of this town. You're lucky that I'm not calling the Boston Police and having you arrested."

Sophie's eyes widened. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

"No," Emma said. "I'm not that kind of person. I know what jail's like. But get out. Now."

Sophie scrambled to her feet and ran out of the house. She got into her car, that she had probably stolen, and drove away as quickly as possible.

The whole house sighed in relief once she was gone. "Whose idea was it to scare her like that?" Regina asked.

Henry and Ava quickly pointed to Lola. Lola just smiled and shrugged. "I needed to pee, so I went to go to the bathroom, and I heard her going through the kitchen. I knew that there was something off about her."

"Well," Emma said, smiling. "I think we know to trust Lola's intuition from now on."

Lola just smirked. "It's about time someone said it."


	246. Day 246: Looking

**This chapter is for JLTricky with the prompt: "Maybe have Emma and Regina out on a date and have it where maybe they get into a fight cause Emma checks out someone else and Regina gets super mad."**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Regina and Emma didn't usually go on dates. They preferred to just stay home and enjoy the comfort ability of the house and just being around each other. But Emma had suggested going out of town because a new restaurant had opened in Boston that she wanted to try.

Regina was going to say no, but Emma's gaze was pleading, and she ended up giving in. And so, here they were, at a fancy restaurant out of town.

Things were going relatively well, until something caught Emma's eye. Or rather, someone. It was an innocent enough look, but Regina could tell that Emma was indeed checking out another woman as she walked by with her date.

Regina huffed in annoyance. They were out on a date and Emma dared to check out another woman? How very classy.

"Regina?" Emma asked. "Are you okay? You look like you zoned out there for a moment."

"I'm fine," Regina said tersely. "But tell me, did you enjoy looking at that woman that walked past? She is quite beautiful, is she not?"

Emma sighed. "Regina-"

"Don't even," Regina said, picking up her coat and beginning to leave the booth. "I'll be out by the car. When you're done enjoying your lovely view of that nice woman over there, I'd like to go back home."

Before Emma could say anything, Regina was out of the booth and had stormed out of the restaurant. Emma buried her face in her hands and groaned. Of course this would happen to her.

Sighing, Emma paid the bill and left a tip for the waiter before getting up and leaving the restaurant. Regina was indeed standing by the car, her arms crossed and standing in a very defensive pose. She was ready to strike if she had to.

"I wasn't checking that woman out," Emma said.

"Oh so now you're lying to me," Regina hissed. "How very nice. I can see that things tonight are going so well."

Emma sighed. "Okay, so I was checking her out. But only because she reminded me of you and I could have seen you wearing a dress like she had on. So then I started visualizing you wearing it and ended up staring longer than I probably should have."

Regina looked at her skeptically. "Are you lying again?"

"You tell me," Emma said. "You seem to know better than anyone when I'm lying. Am I lying to you right now?"

Regina studied Emma closely before shaking her head. "No, you're telling the truth."

Emma smiled. "So can you stop being mad at me now? You know that I hate it whenever you're mad at me because I did something stupid. Which is pretty much all of the time."

Regina laughed. "At least you recognized it."

"So?" Emma asked. "Am I forgiven?"

Regina sighed and uncrossed her arms, all of the tension seeping out of her shortly after. "Yes. You're forgiven. Although checking out another woman because she looks like me is a little scandalous my dear."

"What can I say?" Emma asked, shrugging. "You have that effect on me."


	247. Day 247: Drunk Princess

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "I want to see Snow White drunk and do something to Regina, it could be something funny or something really bad, like Snow hurts Regina (physically or mentally or both) you can decide."**

 **I loved this prompt, and thank you so much for leaving it for me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Regina looked at the door in surprise as she heard the doorbell ring. Who in the world would actually be coming to see her?

Sighing, Regina wiped her hands on her apron before hurrying to the door. She opened it, looking in utter shock at Snow standing on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought that maybe you and I could have a little chat," Snow said. "About Emma."

"What about her?" Regina asked, ready to jump to the defense.

"Can I please just come in?" Snow asked. "I brought wine."

Regina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was Snow looking to get drunk instead of dealing with her problems? "Very well. Come in."

Snow smiled and walked in after Regina had stepped to the side. Regina shut the door and went to the kitchen to take off her apron and get some glasses before going into the living room, where Snow had already made herself comfortable.

Regina opened the wine and poured both of them glasses before sitting down and taking a small sip. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Snow picked up her glass and took a large drink. "She mentioned something to David about today being the day that she caught her very first guy as a bail bondswoman."

"And?" Regina asked. She watched in shock as Snow took another large drink.

"She shouldn't have had to live that life," Snow said, staring into her now empty glass. She sighed before pouring herself another.

Regina sighed. "If you're looking for me to apologize for the curse-"

"I'm not," Snow said. "I know that David and I choosing to put Emma through the wardrobe was our choice, and something that we didn't need to do. Which is why I'm here I guess."

"Why's that?" Regina asked. She took another small sip of her wine, not wanting to get drunk. Unlike Snow, she wanted to remember this conversation.

"You're the person who always talked me into not feeling bad for myself anymore," Snow said. "I need you to do it again, like you did in the Underworld. Prove to me that I don't need to keep focusing on what I did to Emma."

"Snow," Regina said. "You didn't do anything to her."

"But I did," Snow said, taking another long drink. "She could have been raised as a princess in our land. She could have grown up with us."

Sighing, Regina went to take the wine bottle away. Snow didn't need any more.

Snow looked at her for several seconds before getting up and taking the bottle from her and pouring herself another glass, drinking it all in one gulp. She put down the bottle and sat down again. Regina quickly grabbed the bottle and put it next to her on the couch. "She never would have grown up with you. We both know that I would have killed her."

Snow looked at her with wide eyes. "You're right. You would have killed her. You monster!"

"Now wait a minute," Regina said, setting down her glass. "You're drunk and not thinking straight, but that's no reason to go after me for it."

"You would have killed her without thinking about it," Snow said, slamming down her glass. "You would have killed my baby girl."

"The old me would have," Regina said, watching as Snow stood up and swayed on her feet. "I would never hurt her in any way now."

"You liar," Snow said. Her old training as a warrior seemed to have been sparked, because she dove for Regina and quickly wrapped her hands around Regina's throat.

"What are you doing?" Regina said, struggling against Snow's hold. It wasn't hard to; Snow's drunken hold wasn't very strong anyway. "Let go of me!"

"You never should have messed with our family," Snow said. "I should have burned you when I had the chance to."

"You are drunk," Regina whispered. "I don't know why you came here to get drunk of all places, but get off of me and let me go before I use my magic to remove you."

Snow didn't seem to get the threat, but she was most likely too drunk to anyway. Before Regina could even use her magic, Emma walked into the room with dinner.

"What the hell?" Emma asked, dropping the bags of food onto the floor and running over to where Regina was being tackled by Snow. She pulled Snow off of Regina. "What are you doing?"

"She admitted to wanting to kill you as a baby," Snow accused.

Emma looked at her in shock at the overwhelming smell of alcohol in her breath. "Were you drinking?"

"Only a little," Snow said.

"If 2 full glasses counts as a little," Regina said. She had forgotten that Snow had a slight problem with alcohol.

"Come on," Emma said, grabbing Snow's arm. "I'm going to call David to come pick you up."

Regina rubbed her neck after Emma and Snow had left the room. It didn't hurt, Snow hadn't pressed hard enough for that, but it still wasn't a feeling that she had enjoyed.

After around 10 minutes, Emma came back and picked up the food on the floor. "I'm sorry for dropping this. It should still taste fine."

"That's fine," Regina said. She stood up and helped Emma pick up the rest of the bags. "You had a good reason to drop them in the first place."

"I can't believe that she did that," Emma said. "I had no idea that she became like that when she was drunk."

"Neither did I," Regina said. "She was never allowed to drink at parties back in the Enchanted Forest. Now I know why."

Emma laughed. "Because she almost kills people?"

Regina just smiled. "Something like that. Now let's eat. Getting choked by someone tends to make you hungry."


	248. Day 248: Obsession

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Lola becomes obsessed with a movie franchise (like Finding Dory or Frozen lol) and wants everything to be from that franchise. Emma and Regina surprise her by decorating her bedroom just for her to say she doesn't like it anymore and that she now likes something else."**

Regina smiled to herself as she heard Lola humming "Let it Go" on her way down for breakfast. After seeing "Frozen" a couple days ago, Lola had become completely obsessed with it. She knew the lyrics to all of the songs, and her biggest dream now was to meet Elsa and Anna.

Emma and Regina found it adorable, but lately it had started to get out of hand. Lola only wanted things that were "Frozen" themed. Her towels had all been changed to Elsa and Anna, her toothbrush had Elsa on it, and her backpack had Anna on it.

Whenever they tried to give her anything that wasn't "Frozen" themed, it was met with disdain and very clear rejection.

In order to please her, Regina and Emma were planning on completely redecorating her room while she was at school. No longer would her room be princess themed, which Emma and Regina found ironic considering she technically was a princess, and would now have the smiling faces of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf.

"What's for breakfast?" Lola asked, plopping down into her chair at the table.

Regina couldn't help but smile at the Emma-like move. "How do some pancakes sound?"

"Apple ones?" Lola asked, her face lighting up. She loved Regina's apple pancakes as much as the rest of the family did.

"Of course," Regina said, starting to make them. "Is there any other flavor of pancake to have?"

Lola giggled. "No, there's really not."

"There's not what?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen with Henry and Ava close behind her.

"No other flavor of pancake than the apple ones that Mom makes," Lola said.

"Heck yeah there's not," Emma said, kissing Regina on the cheek. "Apple pancakes are the best."

"Your opinion is biased," Regina teased.

Emma shrugged. "Oh well. Doesn't matter, just make the pancakes."

Regina laughed. "As you wish, my dear. After all, we do have a big day ahead of us."

Emma smiled and winked at Regina before taking a seat at the table with the kids. A very big day indeed.

* * *

It took them all day to completely redecorate Lola's room, especially since they repainted her walls. The pink didn't really seem to fit the current theme, so they repainted it a light shade of blue to match Elsa's dress. After the paint had dried, they added snowflakes to the walls.

Next came the furniture, including a new bed set with Elsa and Anna on the comforter. After everything had been set up, Regina and Emma smiled at their handiwork. Lola's room was awesome.

"We are the best mothers ever," Emma said, holding her hand up.

Regina rolled her eyes before hitting it with her own. "She'll be home any minute. We should wait for her downstairs."

Just as they got down, the front door opened and each of the kids entered the house. They hung up their backpacks and took off their shoes, like they were supposed to do, before Henry and Ava disappeared to their respective rooms.

"I'm going to do my homework in my room," Lola said.

"Wait a second Lo," Emma said, grabbing her hand. "We're all going to go up to your room together, and you're going to shut your eyes. Your mom and I have a little surprise for you."

Lola's face lit up. "You do? What is it?"

"You'll just have to come see," Regina said, taking her other hand. "Now close your eyes. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Lola sighed before obediently closing her eyes. Regina and Emma exchanged smiles before leading Lola up to her room. Emma opened the door and they led Lola inside.

"Okay, you can open your eyes," Emma said. She and Regina let go of Lola's hands as she opened her eyes.

Lola smiled as she looked around the room. "This is so cool."

"But?" Emma asked. She could tell that there was something that Lola wasn't saying.

Lola looked a little guilty. "Well, we watched 'Finding Dory' today in class, and I like that movie way better. I was going to ask you guys later if I could have stuff from that franchise."

"But you love 'Frozen'," Regina said. "How could that have changed in one day?"

Lola shrugged. "Just did. Can I get my homework done now?"

Emma nodded and Lola left to go back down and get her homework from her backpack. "We just decorated this room for nothing," Regina said.

"No, we didn't," Emma said. "We'll watch it tonight with her, and reignite her obsession with it. Trust me, she'll be back to loving Anna and Elsa before bedtime."

Regina glanced around the room. "You know what I just realized?"

"What?" Emma asked, following her gaze around the room.

"We have an extremely spoiled daughter," Regina said. "Unbelievably so."

Emma laughed as she looked around the room. "I have no idea what you're talking about. She's not spoiled at all."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately. "Come on. Let's go downstairs and make sure she's actually doing her homework."


	249. Day 249: Trigger

**So we're studying mental disorders in my psychology class, and one of them is PTSD. Trigger warning for rape. Consider this a chapter not only to let out my own pain and frustrations at the moment, but also as a PSA that PTSD isn't just for war veterans. Anything traumatic can cause this.**

Regina sighed comfortably from her spot on the bed. She had gotten off of work early, and was just enjoying some alone time without Henry in the house. Eventually she would have to pick him up from school, but for now she was enjoying the peace and quiet.

As she lay there, Regina began to contemplate her life at this moment. She tended to do that when she was alone and no one was there to drag her out of her thought. Specifically Emma.

Regina couldn't help but smile at the thought of Emma. They had started dating a couple months previous, and so far things had been great. Regina prided herself on the fact that she hadn't managed to break down yet.

She knew that she wanted a relationship with Emma. But as things got more intimate, Regina had to force herself not to curl up in the fetal position and start crying at the memories that haunted her mind.

It wasn't that she didn't want Emma to touch her. She longed for the day that she and the blonde would do certain...things. Regina shook her head and laughed at the thought. Even in her mind she couldn't think about it without using other words.

She did want to feel Emma's arms around her, she really did. But being touched was her trigger.

It was fine when Henry did it, because it was a different kind of hug. He was her son and didn't expect anything more from her than a hug and an occasional kiss on the cheek. And their love was different.

But with Emma, even the holding of hands could turn into something more. And that terrified Regina more than anything.

The last time that someone had tried to touch her romantically, he had ended up having his heart crushed. Regina hadn't meant to, and she hated herself for it afterwards, but the visions had been so real and she had thought that it was the King above her.

Granted, she had been a thing with Graham. But that was different. She had felt nothing for him, and the panic and memories only seemed to happen whenever she loved the person who was doing the touching. Because when she loved and gave into the passion, then the King came out to play.

Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts. Thinking about him would get her nowhere but to a very dark place that Emma would see instantly. Regina didn't want to talk about what was going on in her mind. That was her burden to carry, and hers alone.

At that moment, the bedroom door opened and Emma walked in. Regina had texted her to say that she had gotten off early, and would love the chance to meet the blonde somewhere for a walk in the woods or by the beach.

Emma, however, knew that Regina would go home first to relax, providing her with the perfect opportunity to do what she had wanted to for a long time. Actually touch Regina.

She knew that Regina had a thing about being touched, but it seemed like Emma was the only one she avoided being touched by. It worried her. Had she done something wrong that made Regina not want to be touched by her, and only her?

Regina's eyes widened at the sight of Emma, and she sat up quickly. "What are you doing here?"

Emma shrugged. "I got your text and thought that I could come here instead."

Regina felt herself begin to panic. If Emma stayed here with her, chances are she would want to watch a movie. This would most likely involve sitting closely on the couch, and that could lead to touching. Touching wasn't good.

"I would prefer that we do some kind of activity," Regina said, her voice even and calm. She patted herself on the back for concealing her emotions so well. Showing any kind of discomfort or fear would have Emma all over her in seconds.

"Why?" Emma asked. She was thoroughly confused. Why wouldn't she and Regina just have a day to relax and be together without having to do some kind of activity?

"I don't like relaxing," Regina said, getting off of the bed.

"Then what do you call what you were just doing?" Emma asked, crossing her arms. "Because that looks pretty close to relaxing to me."

"I, um," Regina said. "You know, it's really not important. We can watch a movie if you'd like."

"Hey, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Emma said, reaching out and grabbing Regina's hand. "It was just a suggestion."

Regina froze at the feeling of Emma's hand in her own. Touching her.

Emma felt Regina tense and quickly released her hand. She had broken their unspoken rule. No touching.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quickly.

But Regina didn't hear her. She was lost in her memories.

* * *

 _Regina looked around the room in a panic. She had already experienced this night once. Why did she have to go through it again?_

 _The night in question was her wedding night. Handed off by her mother to the King, Regina had completely forgotten that this was a part of married life. She knew what was expected of her, but didn't want to do it in the least bit._

 _Regina whimpered as she looked around the room in distress. There was no way out. She was stuck here, forced to relive the night that had changed everything. No longer would she be innocent. Tonight would be the final tipping point towards becoming the Evil Queen._

 _Leopold opened the door to their bedchamber, clearly drunk. Regina shuddered. That was probably the only way that he could bear to do this with her. He had already slipped up once and called her Eva at the party. They had only been married for 10 minutes._

" _You look perfect," Leopold slurred._

 _Regina swallowed her disgust. "Thank you."_

 _As he began to undress her, Regina closed her eyes to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill. She couldn't cry. Taking a deep breath, Regina did what she could to numb herself. What was coming would be easier this way._

* * *

Emma was panicking. Regina was lost in her own head, relieving some kind of awful memory. And all because Emma had touched her.

"Regina? Please, come on. Look at me," Emma pleaded. "Come back to me, please. I'm so sorry for what I've done."

Regina started to come out of her flashback. Emma watched as the lost look in her eyes went away, indicating that she was back in the present.

"Regina?" Emma prodded gently.

Regina jumped at the sound of Emma's voice. "What happened?"

"You tell me," Emma said. "I touched your hand and then you disappeared on me. What happened?"

"You touched me?" Regina asked, her eyes widening. "I didn't do anything to you, did I?"

Emma looked at her in confusion. "What? No. You didn't do anything. Why did you think that you did something?"

"No reason," Regina said quickly. "I'm sorry. I'm sure I ruined our afternoon together."

"Don't worry about it," Emma said dismissively. "Instead, explain to me what just went on in that wonderful head of yours."

"Nothing," Regina said.

"Regina," Emma said gently. "Why can't I touch you? You let everyone else touch you. Is this your way of telling me that you don't want to be with me anymore?"

"No!" Regina said quickly. "It's because I want to be with you that you can't touch me."

"Tell me why," Emma pleaded. "I just want to know what's going on. Please."

Regina bit her lip. "Being touched by someone that I love is my trigger."

"Trigger?" Emma asked. "Like, for flashbacks?"

"Sort of," Regina said. "Try more like PTSD. Archie diagnosed me a while ago. Not that his medical opinion counts for much, but it's better than nothing I suppose."

"His medical opinion counts," Emma said. "Why wouldn't you tell me about this? We could have worked through it."

"There's no cure for it," Regina said.

"So I'm just supposed to accept not being able to touch you?" Emma asked. "I don't think so. People support each other in relationships, Regina. We're in this together."

Regina bit her lip. "But anytime you touch me I'm triggered. I have to relive that night."

"What night?" Emma asked.

Emma watched, as Regina seemed to visibly curl in on herself, shutting down completely. "I-"

"Regina, I'm not going to judge you," Emma said. "Please, just let me help. What night are you reliving through your flashbacks?"

Regina bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood, and squeezed her eyes closed. "My wedding night. The tipping part towards who I became as a villain."

"What did he do to you?" Emma whispered.

"He was drunk," Regina said. "And was every time after that. It wasn't like he knew what he was doing."

"Regina, what did he do to you?" Emma asked. "Did he hurt you?"

Regina winced. "Something like that."

Realization visibly registered in Emma's eyes. "You don't want to be touched because he touched you in ways that make awful things be relived in your mind."

"Yes," Regina said. "I can't help it. No matter what I do, I always manage to be triggered just by being touched by the person I love. I can't help it."

"Don't do that," Emma said gently. "I can feel you beating yourself up from here. You went through a traumatic event, and I don't blame you for having these flashbacks."

"I should be over it by now," Regina said.

"When was the last time you talked to Archie about this?" Emma asked. "Actually talked in depth about it."

Regina looked down at her feet. "We never have. I always leave before things can get too deep. I don't like talking about it."

"Tell you what," Emma said. "I'll agree to not touch you until you're ready. But in return, you have to go see Archie. Please. For me."

She had thrown those last two words in there, knowing that those words were a weak point for Regina. Regina would do anything just to make Emma happy, and Emma knew it.

"Okay," she relented. "I'll go see Archie. And maybe someday, you'll be able to touch me without sending me into a panic."

Emma smiled. That was all she needed to hear.


	250. Day 250: Fight Like a Girl

**This chapter is for OTrizy with the prompt: "Henry doesn't like that Emma is stronger than him and he sulks while his sisters tease him about it and giving high fives to Emma and Regina lightly scolds them with a knowing grin. Later on SQ talks in bed fluffy times."**

"I challenge you to arm wrestling," Henry said, waltzing into the kitchen.

Emma looked at him in surprise. "Are you serious? No way, kid."

"Why not?" Henry asked. "Afraid you're going to lose?"

"No," Emma said, chuckling. "I'm afraid you're going to lose and be incredibly embarrassed that you lost to your mother."

"I won't lose," Henry said confidently, sitting across from Emma and holding up his arm in position. "Come on."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But just once."

"What are you guys doing?" Ava asked, walking into the room with Lola. Emma smiled at them both. She loved how inseparable that Ava and Lola were.

"I'm about to beat Ma at arm wrestling," Henry said.

Ava snorted. "As if. She's going to kick your butt." Lola just nodded in agreement, too tired to do anything else. It was close to her bedtime.

"You watch," Henry said. "I'm going to beat her, and then you'll all be proved wrong."

Emma chuckled before placing her hand in Henry's. "You ready?" Henry nodded. "Three, two one."

Henry and Emma struggled against each other for a couple seconds before Emma slammed Henry's hand onto the table. Ava and Lola cheered and gave Emma high-fives for her victory.

"What in the world is going on in here?" Regina asked. "How many times have I said not to get all riled up before bedtime?"

"Sorry," Emma apologized, grinning from ear to ear. "I was just proving our son wrong."

"Whatever," Henry mumbled, sulking. "You probably used your magic to cheat."

"I may have magic, but I would never use it like that," Emma argued. "If you really want to test me, we can do it again."

"No need," Lola said, wide-awake now. "Then he'll just be humiliated in front of his sisters all over again."

"Now, now," Regina scolded gently, grinning at her daughters knowingly. "Leave your brother alone. All of you, up to bed."

The girls giggled again before going up to their rooms, a defeated Henry right behind them. "Come on," Regina said. "Let's go make sure they actually went to bed."

* * *

"What are you smiling about?" Emma asked later when they were both in bed.

"The fact that you completely creamed our son at arm wrestling," Regina said, chuckling. "The look on his face was absolutely priceless."

"Agreed," Emma said. "I do feel bad for beating him though. He had confidence."

"Where did that strength come from?" Regina asked. "I mean, obviously you have good physical ability from your old job, but since when could you easily defeat someone at arm wrestling?"

"Ever heard the phrase 'Fight Like a Girl'?" Emma asked. Regina nodded. "That's a lesson that I learned quickly. When life gets rough, you have to be prepared to fight."

"You were more than ready," Regina said, laughing. "You dominated our son. I don't think he'll ever challenge you to anything ever again. Won't want to risk the embarrassment that he'd most likely get from his sisters."

Emma smirked. "I think he learned his lesson. When you fight like a girl, you're hard to beat."

 **I appreciated all of the prompts, and thank you to everyone who gave them to me! I don't mean to sound picky, but I would love ones that don't involve the Swan-Mills family. I have an overabundance of those, and I would like to save them for when those stories happen. This story should be focused more on Emma and Regina. I promise there will be a story later for their family!**


	251. Day 251: Masquerade Ball

**This chapter is for realJane91 with the prompt: "Emma dances like a gentleman with Regina at a masquerade party. But Regina doesn't know it was Emma all the time in disguise."**

 **Love this! Enjoy!**

"Mom, you have to go," Henry said. "It'll be like the balls in the Enchanted Forest."

Snow and David had decided to throw a masquerade ball in honor of everyone making it home safely from the Enchanted Forest and the Underworld. Everyone but Robin of course.

"I was forced to go to those," Regina said. "Besides, I would like to save myself the embarrassment of not being asked to dance."

"It's a masquerade ball," Henry argued. "No one is going to see that it's you anyway."

Regina sighed. "Henry, I just don't want to go."

She didn't mention that she mainly didn't want to go because Emma wouldn't be there. The sheriff had already told Regina that she definitely was not going, especially to a ball. It reminded her too much of the days that she would have missed out on as a princess.

Regina and Emma weren't in a relationship by any means, but the death of Robin and Emma's relationship struggles with Hook bonded them in a way that neither woman had been expecting. Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they had started to develop feelings for the other.

"Please?" Henry asked. "I can guarantee that something good will happen. And that you'll be asked to dance."

"By who?" Regina asked. "You?" Even though his mothers didn't want to go, Henry certainly did. He had been dreaming of this night all week.

Henry shrugged. "Maybe. Just, please come with me and go. Even if you don't get asked to dance, I bet that you'll have a good time."

Regina sighed as Henry turned his puppy dog eyes on full force. He could get anything with that look. "Fine. I'll go. But you need to help me figure out what I'm going to wear."

* * *

Meanwhile, unknown to anyone but Henry, Emma was going to Gold's shop for a little assistance. Normally, she wouldn't do this. But she wanted to go to the ball. Just not as herself.

The bell on Gold's door jingled as Emma entered the shop. She closed the door behind her and locked it, not wanting anyone to witness the deal that was about to be made.

"Locking the door?" Gold asked. "Something going to happen that you don't want others to see, dearie?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't need anyone knowing that I'm making a deal with the Dark One."

"We're making a deal?" Gold asked, a smile growing on his lips. "How very delightful. And what do I have that would interest you?"

"I need to go to this ball, but as a man," Emma said. "I know that may sound strange, but-"

"I don't need to know why you're doing it," Gold interrupted. "I have a spell that will disguise you as a man, so no one will know who you are."

"What do you want in return?" Emma asked.

"Your blood," Gold said, picking up a vial and handing it to Emma. "A couple drops should be enough for me."

"My blood," Emma said slowly.

"Product of True Love, dearie," Gold said. Emma rolled her eyes before pricking herself with a needle and putting several drops of blood in the vial offered to her.

Gold put the vial in his jacket pocket. "Very good. Now then, shall we?"

Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She felt the slight feel of magic flowing over her. When the feeling went away, she looked down at herself. "What? I'm still me. We had a deal."

"Before you get upset, look over there," Gold said, pointing to a mirror.

Emma glared at him before walking over to the mirror. She gasped at her reflection. The spell had worked perfectly, transforming her into a man with blonde hair and Emma's same green eyes.

"Thank you," Emma said.

Gold cleared his throat awkwardly. He wasn't used to people thanking him for his help. "You're welcome. Now go change into something more appropriate. You have a ball to attend."

* * *

Regina walked towards the ballroom and was immediately hit with the sense of being back in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone wanted to relive those days, and was more than happy to fully participate.

Regina glanced at herself in the mirror and couldn't help the smile that came across her face. She and Henry had chosen a light pink gown, with gold glitter on the skirt. The top came gracefully off of her shoulders, and was highlighted with gold beads. It was elegant, and no one would know it was really the Evil Queen behind the mask.

Regina's mask was the same light pink as her dress, with gold glitter twisted into elegant patterns and around the rims of her eyes. Regina had magically done her hair in a curly up do, bringing the attention more to her face and mask.

"You really do have a thing for mirrors," Henry teased from behind her.

Regina chuckled before turning to face him. His outfit matched Violet's perfectly, and Regina found that entirely adorable.

"Yes, well," Regina said. "Old habits die hard."

Henry smiled. "So are you actually going to go down to the ball, or just stand up here and hide?"

"I'll come," Regina said. "But not with you. That would be too obvious."

"Okay," Henry said, taking Violet's hand. "I'll see you down there then. Save a dance for me."

Regina chuckled and nodded. After Henry and Violet had been gone for a while, she followed them into the ballroom. She couldn't help but smile at the feeling of being home. She didn't want to admit it, but part of her missed the Enchanted Forest.

As Regina walked down the stairs, she noticed a man waiting at the bottom, staring right at her. He had on an elegant white shirt with a golden sash across his chest. His pants were white as well, with a line of gold on the side of both legs. His mask was almost identical to Regina's, except his was white instead of light pink.

Regina looked in surprise at the man. Was he waiting for her? And why was he dressed like they had come together to this outing?

She reached the bottom of the stairs, and the man was quick to approach her. Regina didn't recognize him, but as she looked in his eyes, she couldn't help but have a feeling that she knew this man somehow.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, bowing to her and holding out his hand.

Regina smiled and took his hand. "You may."

And so their night together began.

* * *

Regina couldn't stop smiling the next morning. She had no idea who her mystery dancer was, but she was determined to find out. Perhaps he would be the cure for her love for Emma.

"So, you seemed to have had fun last night," Henry said coyly, walking into the room.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes, I did have a nice time. We'll have to give Emma a hard time for missing out on the opportunity."

Henry bit his lip and smiled. He wanted badly to spill the beans that Emma hadn't missed the ball last night, and Regina's mystery dancer really wasn't a mystery. But that was Emma's story to tell, if she ever chose to tell it.

Regina jumped as her phone went off. She looked at it and chuckled. "It seems like my presence is required at the station. Our lovely sheriff seems to have lost the ability to correctly do paperwork."

Henry laughed. Emma was good at her job, but paperwork seemed to always evade her talents. That was where Regina came in.

"Have a good day at school," Regina said, kissing the top of Henry's head. "I'll be back after I help your mother figure out what lines she needs to sign on."

* * *

"Having some troubles?" Regina teased, walking into the station.

"Just a bit," Emma said, sounding defeated. "I know how to write the report, I just don't understand how to submit it to you. You should have just kept paperwork on paper instead of online."

Regina shrugged. "Now you won't lose it. And it saves trees."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Since when do you care about the environment?"

"Since right about now," Regina said. She took a blank piece of paper on Emma's desk and began searching for a pen. "Don't you have any pens? I'll write down the instructions for you so we don't have to do this every time you have paperwork."

"Top drawer," Emma said.

Regina opened the drawer, moving things around to find a pen. As she was digging, she saw a piece of a white object, rimmed with gold. Eyes widening, Regina grabbed the piece and pulled out the mask that had been on the face of her mystery dancer. "Where did you get this?"

Emma smiled. "Knew you'd find that."

Regina looked at Emma, and then into Emma's eyes. She gasped. "How? You're who I danced with last night."

Emma nodded. "Yes ma'am. You're a good dancer by the way."

"How?" Regina asked again. "You were a man."

"Gold disguised me so no one would recognize me," Emma said. "At the typical ball, men and women dance together, not two women. I wanted to dance with you if I was going to go to the ball."

"You did this to dance with me?" Regina asked, amazed. "You would do something like that, for me?"

"I'd do a lot for you," Emma said honestly.

"Well in that case, there's something else that I want you to do for me," Regina said.

"Anything," Emma replied quickly.

Regina smiled. "Go on a date with me."


	252. Day 252: Cooking Date

**Sorry these chapters took so long to get out, I've been busy!**

 **This chapter is for OTrizy with the prompt: "SQ cooking date, Regina teaches Emma how to cook in their date. It is still unofficial date so they are acting as if this cooking date is just friend teaching another to cook. Confessions happens and understandings about insecurities."**

"What are you doing later tonight?" Regina asked, leaning up against Emma's desk in the station.

"Nothing, why?" Emma asked. She was thrilled at the idea of Regina inviting her to do something, even if they were just friends. And even though Emma wanted things to be more.

"Well, you still have yet to learn how to cook decent meals," Regina said. "And I would prefer that our son doesn't starve to death when he's with you."

Emma laughed. "So what did you have in mind?"

"I teach you how to cook some basic meals," Regina said.

"I have a feeling your definition of basic and mine are two very different things," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Do you want to or not?"

Emma just smiled. Even if she was falling for the brunette, she couldn't resist teasing her every once in awhile. "Of course. I would love for you to teach me how to cook."

"Good," Regina said. "I'll see you around 6:30 tonight?"

Emma nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Regina smiled. "It's a date."

Emma smiled sadly as she watched Regina leave. If only she knew how much Emma wanted for this to be a date.

* * *

At exactly 6:30, Emma rang Regina's doorbell. Henry answered the door, his face lighting up at the sight of his other mother.

"What are you doing here?" Henry asked. "It isn't my night with you, is it?"

"No," Regina said, walking into the foyer. "Emma just came over for a little lesson"

"What kind of lesson?" Henry asked skeptically. He trusted and loved Regina, he really did. But every once in awhile he couldn't help being suspicious.

"She's teaching me how to cook so I'm not completely useless," Emma teased, reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair.

"Hey!" Henry protested, smoothing down his hair. "Don't mess with my hair. And don't burn the house down."

Emma rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. "Go to your room."

"Yes mom," Henry said, walking heavily up to his room. Emma stared after him in awe. He had just called her mom. Even though it was out of protest, it was still one of the nicest sounds Emma had ever heard.

"Emma?" Regina asked, reaching out to lightly grip Emma's arm. "Are you alright? You seem to be staring off after Henry."

"I'm fine," Emma said, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "Let's get to it. What are we going to be making?"

Regina smiled, but let the topic change slide. "Something basic so you can keep up."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

Regina led the way to the kitchen, where several ingredients were all laid out on the island. "Now then," Regina said. "What should we get started with?"

* * *

Emma, for once, was actually enjoying cooking. Granted, it could have been from Regina constantly touching her to either do something or not do something. It was working out well, and Emma loved it. Plus she was learning how to cook.

"That is one very tasty looking omelet," Regina praised, coming up to stand behind Emma. "It actually looks safe to eat."

Emma rolled her eyes before playfully hitting Regina on the shoulder. "Whatever. At least I didn't burn your kitchen down."

Regina laughed and shook her head. Emma was an interesting character.

"You should do that more often," Emma said, looking down at her shoes.

"Do what?" Regina asked. "Praise you on making something delicious?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't care about that. You should smile and laugh a lot more often. It's a nice sound that not a lot of people hear."

"You like my laugh?" Regina asked.

"I like a lot of things about you," Emma said, and then quickly covered her mouth.

"Is that so?" Regina asked, smirking. "And what else is it that you like about me?"

"Everything," Emma said. "I like everything about you. Really, I just like you in general. And not as a friend either."

A smile slowly slid across Regina's face. "I like you as more than a friend as well. As well as everything about you."

"Do you think that we can make this work?" Emma asked. "I mean, you're gorgeous and could make any man sweat. And then there's me." She looked at the mirror on the wall in disdain. "Why would you want to be with a person like me?"

"Because looks don't matter," Regina said, turning Emma to face her. "I wasn't lying. I do like everything about you."

"Thank you," Emma said softly. She leaned in to give Emma a kiss, and Emma prepared herself for it. And then the oven went off. Saved by the bell.

"I'll get those," Regina said, putting on an oven mitt. "But don't you worry. We'll continue this after dinner."

Emma smiled as Regina left the room. After dinner sounded like it was going to be fun times.


	253. Day 253: Split in Two

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Emma kills Regina (because someone controls her with some kind spell or has her heart, Gold, Blue, or even Snow) you can decide if Emma saves Regina, like splits her heart in two, or she doesn't save her."**

 **Prepare yourselves.**

Emma sighed in relief as she walked into the house. It had been a long day at the station, and she was more than ready to curl up with her wife and go to sleep.

"Regina?" Emma called. "Are you home?"

"She's upstairs sleeping," a voice said from behind Emma.

Emma spun around and faced the voice. Gold walked out from the shadows in the creepy way that only the Dark One could. "What are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"Taking care of some business," Gold said, stalking slowly towards Emma. "Some business that requires something from you as well as our dear queen and mayor."

"They're the same person," Emma said, taking a step away from him.

"Regina chose to separate herself from the Evil Queen, making them two different people," Gold said. "But no matter. Either way, they'll both be dead soon."

Emma's eyes widened. "I won't let you do that."

"Oh I won't be doing it," Gold said. "You will."

"Like hell I will," Emma said. "I'm not going to kill my own wife."

"What if it was to save your son?" Gold asked, waving his hand. Henry appeared in the room, his hands tied and his mouth gagged.

"Henry!" Emma exclaimed, taking a step towards him.

Gold held out his hand, stopping Emma in her tracks. "Now, now, there's no need to panic. It's simple, really. You're going to go upstairs and rip out Regina's heart and crush it, killing her and the Evil Queen. If you do that, Henry will be fine."

"And if I don't?" Emma asked.

Gold pulled a dagger from his jacket and held it up to Henry's throat. "He dies."

Emma felt a large amount of knots begin to settle in her stomach. This was not good at all. She had to choose between her wife and her son. "You're a sick man."

"I know," Gold said. "Now, take out your heart."

"What?" Emma asked. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I will be controlling you through your heart," Gold said, holding out his hand. "If that makes you feel any better."

"No, it doesn't," Emma said, glaring at him.

Gold shrugged. "No matter. Now give me your heart and let's get on with this. The faster it's over, the quicker we can all grieve and move on."

Henry looked at Emma with a pleading gaze, but Emma shook her head. If Regina woke up and found that Emma had chosen her over Henry, Regina would never talk to Emma again. Much less want to live with her.

Emma reached into her chest and pulled out her heart before reluctantly handing it over to Gold. Gold smiled and commanded through Emma's heart for her to go up to her and Regina's bedroom and kill Regina.

Tears started falling down Emma's cheeks as she climbed the stairs and walked quietly into the bedroom. Regina slept peacefully, not even knowing what was about to happen. Emma hoped with every fiber in her being that Regina would stay asleep.

Emma reached Regina and gently pulled the covers down, giving her easy access to Regina's heart. "I love you," she whispered, before reaching in and pulling out Regina's heart.

Regina gasped and instantly woke up, looking at Emma in confusion and terror. "Emma? What's going on?"

"I'm so sorry," Emma said, breaking down in heavy sobs. "Gold, h-he has my h-h-heart and I have t-to kill y-you."

"Okay," Regina said, lying back onto the bed. "I'm assuming this has something to do with the Queen? And Gold's recently hidden child?"

Emma sniffed and nodded. "I don't want to do this, but he's got my heart and he'll kill Henry if I don't follow his commands."

"Smart move," Regina said bitterly. "Don't worry about it, dear. I'll see you again someday."

"No," Emma said. "I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you."

Gold groaned in frustration and gave Emma's heart a light squeeze before commanding her to follow along with the plan.

But Emma kept resisting. She wanted her wife alive. But then Gold would kill their son, and what was life without Henry?

"Stop fighting it," Regina said gently. "You're hurting yourself for no reason. Just make it as quick and painless as possible."

Emma let out another sob before looking down at Regina's heart in her palm. Regina smiled sadly before grabbing Emma's other hand. Emma glanced at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said softly. "Now get it over with and save our son."

Emma looked down again at Regina heart before crushing it completely as quickly as she could. Regina's hand in Emma's went limp, and Emma collapsed onto her knees. Her wife was dead. The love of her life was dead.

Henry came running up the stairs, holding Emma's heart. "Gold untied me after he knew that Mom was dead. He gave this to me, which you should definitely put back into your chest before something happens."

Emma took her heart and looking at it thoughtfully. "I can't live without her. There's no point."

Henry's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Emma crushed her heart in her hand, falling to the floor. Henry dropped down beside her, grabbing her hand, hoping to see her heart in it. Not seeing it, he began to cry, holding onto the hands of both of his mothers.

"You forgot something important," Henry whispered to Emma. "You could have split your heart in two."


	254. Day 254: Speaking French

**Okay, so I speak a little French. Possibly the vocab of a 3 year old. But, I did try my best to make all of the words accurate. If there is something wrong, I apologize, and please tell me so that I can fix it!**

Many things about Regina turned Emma on. But what she hadn't planned on was the other woman being able to speak fluent French. It made sense, since she was a queen and all, but still.

Emma walked to Regina's study to tell her that dinner was ready, when she heard the first bit.

"Elle est si ridicule," Regina growled, picking up a stack of papers. "Elle continue de changer d'avis sur chaque petite chose!"

Emma froze with her hand up to knock on the door. Since when could Regina just speak French like it was English? She had no idea what Regina was saying, but it sounded sexy.

"Å quoi je pensais?" Regina asked herself. "L'aider å ne jamais me trouver nulle part."

Emma pushed the door open farther, wincing when it creaked. Regina spun to face her. "How long have you been standing there?"

"How long have you spoken French?" Emma countered. "And why didn't you ever tell me?"

Regina shrugged. "I didn't think it was important. Besides, I only do it when I'm upset."

"You should be upset more often," Emma said, winking. Regina just laughed and stacked up her papers. "Why are you upset?"

"Because your mother is being ridiculous," Regina said. "I tried to explain to her that even though this is a magical town, I still have to pay for it and provide funding. She doesn't seem to understand that some things in this town need fixing more than she needs new desks."

Emma laughed. "That's my mother for you."

"Not to mention the fact that I finally told her what money she has, and she can't seem to make up her mind on what she wants to put it towards," Regina said through gritted teeth. "I need to send in these papers."

"You'll figure it out," Emma said gently, coming up behind Regina and wrapping her hands around Regina's waist.

Regina hummed in agreement. It was true. She could pull pretty much anything together at the last minute and make it seem perfect.

"So, back to my earlier question," Emma said. "How long have you been speaking French? Clearly quite some time since you're so fluent."

Regina nodded. "It was one of my classes. Mother insisted that ladies who spoke multiple languages were more sought after. I chose French."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because it's the language of love, and I was hoping that it would attract some French man who would sweep me off of my feet and get me away from my mother," Regina said, chuckling.

Emma rolled her eyes. "The real explanation?"

Regina laughed. "I don't know why I chose it, it was so long ago. But I think it had something to do with how graceful the language is and how it flows off of your tongue."

"Say something," Emma said.

Regina smirked. "Quelque chose."

"What was that?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled and laughed. "Something."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'm serious. If I'm honest, the whole 'language of love' is working."

"Is it now?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. "Well in that case, je peux parler français toute la nuit."

Emma shuddered, as her pupils grew wider. French was definitely a turn on.

Regina smiled as she felt Emma's reaction. "Être un peu excité, ma chérie?"

"I don't know what you just said," Emma mumbled. "But I think you need to say it again with a little less clothes on."

Regina hummed in agreement. "Well then, I believe we need to head upstairs."

Emma nodded and grabbed her hand, dragging her to their bedroom. Regina smirked. She was going to have to be careful with her French speaking from now on. Or maybe not.


	255. Day 255: One Body

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Regina and Emma fuse together, due to a magical faux pas, and become one body. Being able to read each other's thoughts /emotions eventually leads to SQ."**

"You are insane," Emma hissed, walking into Regina's office and shutting the door. "How in the hell do you expect to be able to pretend to fit into the Queens of Darkness? They'll figure you out in no time!"

"No, they won't," Regina said calmly. "So stop freaking out. It's easy enough to pretend to be the Evil Queen once again."

"And if you can't?" Emma asked. "What if they ask you to kill someone? Then what are you planning to do?"

Regina winced. She hadn't thought of that. "I see your point. But I'm still going to them tonight and joining them. I need to earn their trust, or nothing is ever going to happen."

Emma sighed. She didn't like the idea of Regina putting herself in danger just to win over the trust of some villains. For several reasons.

"Just, think about doing something different to win them over," Emma said. "Sleep on it maybe."

"I don't need to," Regina said stubbornly. "I have my mind set, and I don't plan on changing it. I need to gain their trust, and the only way to do that is to pretend to be one of them."

"That's putting yourself directly into harm's way," Emma argued.

Regina shrugged. "Nothing that I can't handle."

"Why can't you see my side on this?" Emma asked.

"Why can't you see mine?" Regina countered. "I will be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me. I don't know why you care so much anyway."

"You're my friend," Emma said, her voice wavering slightly on the last word. "Friends care about each other."

"I see," Regina said. "Well, if you wouldn't mind, I have some work to get done before I meet the girls for whatever test they have for me."

Emma sighed in defeat before leaving Regina's office. This wasn't a battle that she was going to win by any means. As she left, Emma couldn't help but feel as if something was wrong with Regina. Shrugging, Emma left the building. Regina could handle herself.

* * *

Regina, meanwhile, had blacked out completely onto her desk merely seconds after Emma had left her office. Just suddenly collapsed. She blinked her eyes, lifting her head up from her desk. Why was she sleeping?

Shaking her head, Regina picked up her papers and walked past the mirror. She froze as she saw a flash of blonde hair. Turning around, Regina walked quickly to the mirror, where she screamed and dropped the papers at seeing her own reflection.

Her face and body was still hers, but she had Emma's green eyes and blonde hair. What in the world?

"Glad you've noticed our little problem," Emma said.

Regina whipped around to face her, but didn't see anyone. "Emma?"

"I'm here," Emma said. "I'm just in your head somehow. Our bodies merged, and now we're one person. Any cures come to mind?"

"Ummm, I, um," Regina sputtered. She had no idea what to do. She hadn't heard of this happening to anyone before. What if there wasn't a cure? Then what?

"Will you calm down?" Emma asked. "Geez. You're going to make my head explode, which at this point, is _our_ head."

"That's not funny," Regina said. "What are we supposed to do about this? I can't have you in my body forever."

"But I like it in here," Emma whined. "Smells like apples."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Whatever it smells like doesn't matter. What matters is that I can't have blonde hair and green eyes when I go to meet with the Queens of Darkness, or they'll definitely know that something is off."

"You have this amazing thing called magic," Emma said sarcastically. "Just change my features to look like yours."

Regina hit her forehead, hoping that the action would cause some pain to the annoying part of Emma living in her head. Emma did nothing but laugh. "Nice try."

"Thought it was worth a try," Regina said. She tried to use her magic to transform her looks back to her normal self, but it wasn't working. Nothing was changing.

"I would tease you for not trying, but I can tell that you're trying," Emma said.

"Thanks," Regina huffed in annoyance.

"Maybe we could try working together," Emma said. "Like with the diamond. And the lunar eclipse. Our magic worked together then, why couldn't it now?"

"Something like this will require a lot of magic and emotion," Regina warned. "With the diamond, we both wanted to save the town. The lunar eclipse got rid of the moon so we could save Henry. There's no emotion this time."

"Maybe there is," Emma said.

"Like what?" Regina snapped. "Disdain at having you in my head?"

"No," Emma said. "But I've heard that love can be a powerful thing where magic is concerned."

Regina froze. "Are you implying that we need to use love to get ourselves out of this mess?"

"You said that you needed an emotion," Emma said. "I'm just pointing one out."

"One that is illogical," Regina argued. "I don't love you."

"We both know that that's a lie," Emma said softly. "I'm in your head, remember? I can feel everything you can, past and present. You could do the same to me if you're tried."

"Regardless of whether I want to do that or not, that still doesn't mean that I love you," Regina said. "You have no proof."

"Our magic would only work so well together if we had some kind of connection," Emma said. "I read about it in a book shortly after we got rid of the diamond. We're connected somehow, and I know that it's not as enemies."

"And how do you know that?" Regina asked.

"Because I do have feelings for you," Emma said. "And whether or not you want to admit it, I know that you have them for me too. But you're scared to love because of what it has done to you in the past."

"Get out of my head," Regina growled.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Emma asked. "Our magic won't work together until you've admitted it."

Regina sighed. "Fine. Yes, I have feelings for you. And yes, I'm scared to love. Now will you get out of my head?"

"I'm not in your head," Emma said. "I'm right here."

"What?" Regina asked.

"Wake up," Emma said, her voice growing louder. "Regina, wake up. Wake up!"

* * *

Regina sat up with a gasp, looking around at her surroundings in confusion. She was still in her office, but it was now dark outside. What had happened?

"Oh thank goodness," Emma said in relief as she walked back into the room. "I was afraid that you were never going to wake up."

"What?" Regina asked in confusion.

Emma chuckled. "I came back into your office to apologize, and found you passed out on your desk. I just went to grab some water for you."

"Oh, thank you," Regina said. She took the water from Emma and took small sips. She looked over at the clock and nearly spit out her drink. "I was supposed to meet the girls an hour ago!"

Emma looked down at her feet. "Yeah, you were. I tried waking you up, but you were really asleep."

"I was in the middle of a very strange dream," Regina said. "I've never had a dream like that before."

"Yeah the bottle said that could be a side-effect," Emma said, eyes widening at the slip.

Regina glared at her. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," Emma said quickly. "You know, I think I should be going."

"Emma," Regina warned. "What did you do?"

Emma sighed. "I put some sleeping medication into your drink at lunch that would kick in at just the right moment that you would miss your meeting with the Queens."

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"

"Because they're going to figure you out, and I can't let that happen," Emma said. "I care about you too much to see you get killed by them."

Regina sighed. Emma could be infuriating when she was being protective. "Thank you for caring about me, but-"

"I don't think you realize how much I care for you," Emma interrupted. "That thought of losing you to one of those monsters is as painful as the thought of losing Henry or my parents. I can't lose you."

'Why?" Regina asked.

"Because," Emma said. "Like I said, I care about you. Now come on. Since you're not meeting with the villains, we should take our son out to a movie."

Regina rolled her eyes and smiled. "Very well. But I will have to deal with them at some point."

"I know," Emma said. "And I'll just pull out another dose to make you sleep."

Regina sighed. One day she would tell Emma that she not only cared for her as well, but also loved her. Perhaps later tonight during the movie even. Fate had a strange way of moving things along.


	256. Day 256: Delusions

**So I got a prompt for Day 253 to be a dream...but I'm not going to do that. Angst is angst, and I like how angsty that chapter was. Sorry :)**

"I'm home!" Emma called, walking into the mansion. She took off her shoes, put them on the mat, and shrugged off her jacket. Regina had a thing about everything having a place, especially shoes.

"Took you long enough," Regina said, walking into the foyer. "I thought you said that you would be home in time for dinner."

"Got caught up at the station," Emma said. "Did you eat already?"

"No," Regina said. "I thought that I would wait for you."

Emma smiled. She loved when Regina did the little things like that. It reminded her more of a domestic life.

"Let's eat then," Emma said.

* * *

After they had dinner, they ended up putting in a movie and cuddling together on the couch. Regina fell asleep before the movie ended, but that was nothing unusual. Regina always fell asleep before the movie ended.

Even when they watched horror movies, Regina somehow always managed to fall asleep. At first Emma had woken her up, but after awhile she just gave up. It wasn't worth it to try and keep her awake.

Smiling, Emma gently picked up Regina and carried her upstairs. She set her wife down gently on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. Regina smiled and sighed in her sleep before snuggling under the covers.

The doorbell rang, and Emma looked quickly to make sure that Regina hadn't woken up. She hadn't, so Emma hurried downstairs before the person could ring the doorbell again.

Opening the door, Emma looked in confusion at Snow standing outside. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I came to just check on you, see if things are going okay," Snow said.

"Of course they are," Emma said. "Nothing bad has happened or anything, why would you think that I wasn't fine?"

"Because of what happened with Regina," Snow said, worry beginning to creep its way onto her face.

"What happened with Regina?" Emma asked. "She's upstairs sleeping, perfectly fine. We had a nice dinner tonight."

"Emma," Snow said sadly. "She's not upstairs."

"Yes she is," Emma insisted. She grabbed Snow's hand and pulled her inside and up to the bedroom that she and Regina shared. Sure enough, Regina was still fast asleep under the covers. Emma pointed at her. "See? She's right there!"

"There's no one there, Emma," Snow said quietly. "The bed is empty."

"No it's not," Emma shouted, letting go of Snow's hand. "She's right there! Right there!"

Snow pulled out her phone and called David as Emma was kneeling by the side of the empty bed. "You need to get here right now and we need to get Emma to Archie."

"What's going on?" David asked.

"She's seeing Regina," Snow said. David didn't need to hear any more. He hung up and drove quickly to the mansion before knocking out Emma with a sedative that Archie had given them in case this happened. He winced before picking her up in his arms and driving to the hospital. Snow called Archie on the way.

* * *

"What's happening to her?" Snow asked Archie.

"All of the tests for schizophrenia came back negative," Archie said. "It's just a part of her grief. Her mind is allowing her to see the person that she loves and misses the most."

"I thought she was getting better," David said. "We were going to let Henry go home today."

"She will get better," Archie said soothingly. "But it's going to take a lot of help from me. I wouldn't recommend medication or anything because that isn't what's wrong with her. All that's wrong with her is her mind trying to cope with a broken heart."

Snow sighed as tears gathered in her eyes. Her poor baby girl. "What can we do?"

"Be there for her," Archie said. "Try and get her to talk about it if you can. She'll stay in the hospital until we can determine that she's no longer seeing these delusions, and then she'll just have regular check-ups with me."

"She won't open up for us," David said. "She's never been one to open up."

"Not true," Snow said. "She opened up to Regina. Regina was the first person that ever really listened to her."

"Which is what you can do now," Archie said. "Have some hope. She'll get better in time."

David sighed as he wrapped an arm around Snow. "I hope so."

* * *

Emma stirred and opened her eyes. Why was she in the hospital? The last thing she remembered was kneeling by the side of the bed and Regina's sleeping form before she blacked out. Something sharp had been stuck in her shoulder, but what was it?

"You're awake," Regina said, smiling from her chair by Emma's bed.

"Gina," Emma sighed in relief. "I knew you were here. My parents are crazy, they won't even let the kid come home."

"Emma, you know that I'm not really here," Regina said sadly. "I'm a figment of your imagination, used to make yourself feel better about my death."

"You weren't supposed to get cancer," Emma whimpered. "Why did that have to happen?"

Regina reached out and grabbed her hand gently. "I know. And I miss you too. But we'll see each other again one day, okay?"

"Promise?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "I promise." And with that, she disappeared.

Archie knocked on the door before entering Emma's room. "Hello Emma. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Emma said, staring at the chair that Regina had just occupied.

Archie looked at the empty chair. "Who are you looking at?"

"No one," Emma said. "There's no one there."

It was the first time she had said that to him without lying.

 **Sorry, it's super gloomy where I'm at right now and my sister just had a bullying problem, so I was in an angsty mood. Review some happy prompts?**


	257. Day 257: Toddler Trouble

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Snow and David get turned into kids and Emma and Regina take care of them until they turn back."**

Emma rubbed her temples for what had to be the 50th time in the last hour. Snow and David were trying to talk to her, but she really didn't want to listen. They kept insisting that they really needed Emma to watch Neal for the night, but Emma insisted that she and Regina had plans.

Of course, this didn't matter to them. As far as they were concerned, Emma dating Regina was only short-term, and would be over with soon anyway. Then she could go back to dating Hook and get her happily ever after.

No one seemed to have noticed the engagement ring on Regina's finger.

"I don't see why you can't just watch him for an hour," Snow said. "It's not even that big of a deal, Emma. All we're asking for is for you to help us out."

"And I already told you that Regina and I have plans," Emma snapped back. "I promised her that tonight would be just for us. Even Henry agreed to get out of the house for the night to give us time alone."

David sighed. "But-"

"No," Emma said strongly. "That is not how this works. You two are acting like Neal! Always assuming that you're going to get what you want just because you ask for it."

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed. "We are nothing like Neal. He's only a year old."

"Exactly," Emma said through clenched teeth, looking away from them both. "I swear sometimes you two act as old as he does. You might as well be that age!"

Silence followed her statement, causing Emma to sigh. She loved her parents, she really did, and it wasn't her intent to hurt them. "Look, I'm sorry-"

She stopped talking at the sight of her parents. Or really, the lack of her parents. They were gone. "What the heck?" Emma asked, getting out of her chair. She walked around the desk, and stopped cold at seeing the two toddlers staring up at her.

At first Emma was confused, and then she looked closer. The one had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other had black hair and eyes just like Emma's.

"Oh no," Emma said. "What have I done?"

* * *

The first thing that Emma did was get the toddlers dressed in clothes that were their own size. The station had an extra room full of clothes of all sizes just in case a person suddenly showed up in the town not having any idea of where they were. Enchanted Forest clothes didn't tend to blend in very well.

Once the toddlers were dressed, Emma picked up one in each arm and poofed to the mansion. Regina had taken the afternoon off to work from home. She had been doing that more and more lately after the whole deal with Greg and the electric shock. She wasn't entirely ready to be around people yet.

Hearing the sound of Emma's boots coming down the hallway, Regina put down her pen and smiled. That smile quickly disappeared as she saw the toddlers that Emma was holding.

"You seem to have little humans attached to your body," Regina said, standing up and walking over to Emma. "Care to explain?"

Emma bit her lip and looked down at her feet guiltily. The toddlers felt Emma's discomfort and began to fuss, squirming to be let down by the distressed woman.

Regina quickly poofed a playpen into her office and took the toddlers from Emma before placing them inside. They instantly began playing with the toys, all feelings of distress forgotten.

"Emma?" Regina prodded, squeezing her arm gently. "What's going on?"

"Those aren't normal toddlers," Emma mumbled. "They're my parents who I accidentally turned into toddlers because they were acting like it and I snapped."

Regina covered her mouth to keep from laughing. "Not that I am proud of you for turning them into younger versions of themselves, but I am quite impressed."

"I don't know how I did it!" Emma exclaimed. "Much less how to turn them back. How do I turn them back?"

"Relax," Regina said soothingly. "It's not even that hard."

She walked over to pick up David, but paused. "Oh dear."

"What?" Emma asked, hurrying over. "What happened? What's wrong? Does he have an extra limb or something?"

Regina laughed. "Will you calm down? He just needs to be changed."

"Oh," Emma said. "Well I'm just gonna let you handle that one." She slowly backed away from the playpen.

Regina rolled her eyes and picked up David. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

Emma laughed. "I know. We could change him back right now, no changing required."

"Yes because I'm sure he would love being changed back with wet pants and no recollection of peeing himself," Regina said sarcastically.

"Fine," Emma said. "But in the meantime, I'm changing Snow back."

Regina nodded and left the room with David. "I'll change him back when he's done being changed."

Emma picked up Snow and set her on the ground. She got rid of the playpen before turning her attention back to her mother. She closed her eyes, and hoped for the best.

"Emma?" Snow asked. "Why are your eyes closed and your hands are pointed towards me? And why am I in the mansion?"

A shout came from upstairs, and Emma winced. David must have been changed back, and wasn't pleased. "It's a long story."


	258. Day 258: Master of Seduction

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Emma wants to know exactly with how many people Regina has slept back in the Enchanted forest, except Graham. Regina tells her with how many she has slept. Emma is of course jealous, but the bonus part is that Regina has slept with David's twin brother, and when she tells her this part Snow and David are present."**

It probably was a conversation that shouldn't have ever happened, but Emma was curious. Her parents were going to be joining them for dinner, and this would be the first dinner with Emma and Regina as a couple.

Snow and David had been supportive of their decision as a couple, and Snow had even let slip that many members in the town had been making bets on how long it would have taken the two of them to admit their feelings.

But shortly after admitting their feelings and becoming a couple, Regina had let slip that there had always been a bit of chemistry with Gold. It hadn't bothered Emma. Or at least so she told herself.

"Penny for your thoughts," Regina said, moving around the kitchen gracefully as she prepared dinner. She had refused to let Emma help, claiming she would burn down the whole kitchen if given the chance.

"I was just thinking about what you said about you and Gold," Emma said. "About you two and your chemistry together."

"You're still thinking about that?" Regina asked. "I didn't realize that it would bother you so much."

"It doesn't," Emma said. "But I am curious. Besides Graham, how many people did you sleep with back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Regina froze in the middle of chopping up an onion. "Why in the world would I tell you that?"

"Because you tell your partner these things," Emma said. "Now come on, out with it. How many people did you sleep with?"

Regina looked up at the ceiling. If she was honest with herself, there were almost too many to count. Seduction was the easiest way for her to get what she wanted back then. The Evil Queen seducing Gold was an active testimony to that.

"You can't remember," Emma said. "You literally can't remember how many people you slept with."

Regina sighed and went back to chopping the onion. "I slept with people to get what I wanted from them. It wasn't like it actually meant anything."

"Still," Emma grumbled.

Regina set down her knife and walked over to Emma, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Now don't be like that. You're the one that asked in the first place."

"I know," Emma mumbled.

"The reason I don't remember is simply because I usually numbed myself. I just wanted the information that they had, and most people aren't really thinking about what they say in the moment of passion," Regina said. "Even your father's twin wasn't immune."

"You slept with my brother?" David asked from the doorway.

Regina and Emma both jumped, springing apart. "How long have you been standing there?" Regina asked.

"Not long," Snow said. "We only just got here and were going to see if we could help with anything."

"Forget that," David said. "You slept with my brother?"

"How do you think I figured out who you were?" Regina asked. "He let slip that he had a twin, the exact information I needed. When he died and you were on the throne, I knew exactly who you were, what your weaknesses were, and many other things."

David shook his head. "I can't believe that you would-"

"I needed information," Regina interrupted. "I didn't feel anything for him. He had information I wanted. I treated him no differently than I did Hook."

"You slept with Hook?" Emma asked.

Regina winced. "He had services that I required. I needed his pirating skills."

"And you slept with him to get them?" Emma asked.

"Regrettably, yes," Regina said. "I didn't sleep with any of the men I did for any purpose other than my own gain. Revenge is easy when you're willing to do anything to get it."

The room was silent as everyone tried to process what had just happened. Regina was embarrassed, Emma was jealous, David was confused, and Snow just felt awkward.

"Well," Snow said. "Who's up for some dinner?"


	259. Day 259: Sessions

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Regina's sessions with Archie"**

Regina paused with her hand on the door to Archie's office. She hadn't really wanted to come here, but Emma had set up the appointment for her. She had no doubt that Emma would check in with Archie if she actually went or not, which was why she was actually making the effort to go.

Before Regina could turn away and walk back down the stairs like she wanted to, the door opened to reveal Archie. He smiled warmly at her, but all Regina wanted to do was flee. She had made him a therapist, and now it was very much backfiring.

"Before you run away, keep in mind that that's an Emma move," Archie said. "You never run from your problems, for as long as I've known you."

Regina sighed in defeat. He was right. She walked past him, ignoring his satisfied smile, and took a seat on the couch opposite Archie's. Archie took a seat and grabbed his notepad and paper before turning his attention completely to Regina.

"You look like you're waiting for me to say something," Regina said.

"Isn't that what you came here to do?" Archie asked.

Regina shook her head. "I came here because Emma set up the appointment, and I have no doubt that she'll be checking in to see if I actually went of not. Now you can say I came, and I can leave."

Regina stood back up, walking towards the door. "Emma booked this session because your nightmares have been getting worse," Archie said.

Regina froze. "I don't have nightmares."

"Emma would beg to differ," Archie said. "And since you won't open up to her, it has been requested that you open up to me."

"And why would I do that?" Regina asked.

"Because deep down you do want to talk about it," Archie said. "If you talk about it, I can bet that the nightmares will go away."

Regina wrapped her arms around herself and sat back down. "Fine. The nightmare is the same every time."

"What happens?" Archie asked.

Regina squeezed her arms tighter around herself. "I used to have lessons with Rumple to learn magic. In my dream, it's a typical lesson until Emma and Henry show up. And he makes me choose which one to kill. And every time that I refuse, he kills them both without a second thought."

"Have you ever tried to save them?" Archie asked. "Or go along with his wishes?"

"I could never kill one of them," Regina said. "But even then, I can never move. I'm forced to stand there and watch as he kills them both. Every night."

"I think I know what's going on, and how you can deal with it," Archie said. "But you have to trust me completely, and do what I say or this isn't going to work."

"And if I don't?" Regina asked.

Archie smiled. "No matter how stubborn you try to be, hiding this from Emma is just going to tear your relationship apart. The next time you have this nightmare, talk to her. Talking to me is great, but I don't have the relationship with you that Emma does."

"Thank goodness for that," Regina mumbled.

Archie chuckled. "Just talk to her. The nightmares are happening because you're so scared of losing her that those thoughts are being brought to you in your dreams. Talking to her will help."

* * *

That night, Regina sat up in bed with a gasp. Emma was instantly awake beside her, and sat up slowly. She had no idea what Archie and Regina had talked about, but she knew that Regina had gone.

"You okay?" Emma asked hesitantly. Probably the stupidest question to ask after a nightmare, but she never knew what to do. Regina never wanted to talk about it. Or go back to sleep.

"No," Regina said. Emma looked at her in surprise. Usually Regina just shrugged and got out of bed, leaving Emma alone to fall back asleep. This was a new twist.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Emma asked.

Regina took a deep breath. "Not really. But I've been hiding this from you for too long, and it's time that I told you what's happening. Because you were right. They are getting worse."

Emma nudged her gently. "Told you I'm right every once in awhile."

Regina chuckled. "Yes well. Apparently Archie was a good choice for town therapist."

Emma just smiled and wrapped an arm around Regina. Regina sighed and leaned into the touch, resting her head on Emma shoulder. "The dream is the same every night. I'm in the forest with Rumple for one of our magic lessons, and then you and Henry show up."

Emma didn't say anything, just rubbed her hand soothingly up and down Regina's back. Regina took a deep breath before continuing. "He tells me that love is a disadvantage, and if I truly want to be powerful that I must kill one of you. I refuse every time of course, and then he rips out both of your hearts, and kills you. I try to stop him, but I can't move and you both just collapse to the ground. And that's when I wake up."

Several beats of silence passed before Emma spoke. "You know, I had nightmares in Neverland about you dying. We weren't together then, so I didn't say anything. But I forced them to go away."

"How?" Regina asked.

"I repeated to myself over and over again that it wasn't real," Emma said. "That usually woke me up without feeling panicked. I had control over the dream."

"But it always feels so real," Regina whispered.

"I know," Emma said. "But here's why it's not. No one has ever been able to rip out my heart, right? Why would Rumple suddenly be able to?"

"Oh," Regina said. "I guess that's true."

Emma chuckled. "Would you look at that? I was right again. I'm on a roll tonight."

Regina just rolled her eyes. But it was true. Emma was on a roll.

* * *

"So, how have things been going?" Archie asked from his spot.

"Good," Regina said. "I haven't been having the nightmares as frequently, and whenever I do, I talk to Emma about them."

"And does this help?" Archie asked.

Regina nodded. "I can actually go back to sleep and not have another nightmare. If I keep this up, the nightmares might disappear altogether."

Archie smiled. "That's what I like to hear."

Regina smiled back at him. "I may have given you this job from a curse, but you're actually pretty good at it. For a cricket."

Archie laughed. That was about as good of a compliment that he had ever gotten from Regina. "I'm just going to ignore the cricket jab and say thank you."

Regina laughed. "You're welcome."


	260. Day 260: Don't Leave

**This chapter is for Charm420 with the prompt: "Ava gets upset about Henry going to college. Potentially brings up some abandonment issues that Henry and Emma help her sort through."**

Ava watched from the doorway as Henry packed up some boxes. He was leaving for college in the morning, and only had a few more boxes to pack.

Regina had tried to get him to go to college close to town, but Henry had ended up getting a full-ride to a college in California. About as far away from the town as possible. But then again, if you wanted to work for Disney, that was the place to go.

Emma had laughed when she heard what Henry wanted to go to college for, but she was determined to be supportive. After all, he was the Author. If anyone knew how to create stories, he would be the one to do it.

"You just gonna stand there, or give me some help?" Henry teased.

Ava just shrugged before turning and going back to her room. She brushed past Regina and Emma and slammed the door shut.

"What was that about?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "No idea. But she came from Henry's room."

They walked down the hall together and into Henry's room, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Do you guys know what's going on with Ava?" Henry asked. "I asked her to help me pack boxes and she just left."

Realization suddenly hit Emma. "I'll be right back." She quickly walked down to Ava's room and opened the door, her heart breaking slightly at the hurt look on Ava's face.

Emma shut the door behind her and sat on the edge of Ava's bed. "He's not leaving forever."

"I know that," Ava said. "But he also doesn't have to leave at all. Like everyone else."

Emma winced. She knew that feeling all too well. She wished that Ava hadn't had to experience the foster system, but they hadn't found her in time.

"I'll be back as often as I can," Henry said from outside the door.

Emma rolled her eyes and got up before opening the door. Henry smiled guiltily. "It seemed like a conversation I needed to hear anyway."

"You promise you'll come back as often as you can?" Ava asked.

Henry smiled at her. "I promise. And we can even Skype if you want to. I'm not leaving forever. And even if I was, you would always be my little sister."

Ava smiled and jumped off of the bed before hugging Henry tightly. Emma smiled at the moment before slipping out of the room and going downstairs. She began picking up Henry's boxes and taking them out to the truck, not even noticing how heavy they were.

"You know what she's feeling," Regina said, coming down the stairs as Emma reached to pick up another box.

"Of course I do," Emma said, standing up straight. "I'm just glad we found her before she spent her whole life in the system."

"Like you," Regina said softly.

Emma winced. "Yeah, I guess. I understand what it feels like to see everyone else get families and lives and you're left behind." She shrugged. "But my experiences helps Ava with what she's feeling."

"And yet it hurts you at the same time," Regina countered.

Emma sighed. "I can't change the past, Regina. But I can use it to help shape Ava's future to make sure she never feels the way I used to."

Regina smiled and walked forward, hugging Emma tightly. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I know," Emma said. "But feel free to tell me that as often as you want."

Regina just rolled her eyes and laughed.


	261. Day 261: I Do

**This prompt is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "SQ marriage, but with a twist: Regina and Emma are getting married and before Regina says "I do", she sees Sidney holding a gun aiming at Emma (he's jealous, because Regina chose Emma over him). Βut she reacts quickly, pushing Emma out of the way."**

Today was the day Emma and Regina had been waiting for. The whole town was gathered together, no fighting between anyone, to celebrate the marriage of Regina and Emma. The only person not in attendance was the Magic Mirror himself.

Sidney watched from the shadows as Henry took Regina's arm to walk her down the aisle. She looked lovely. Perfect even. Nothing had changed about the loveliness of his queen, even though she was getting married to another. Not that she would.

Peeking into the inside pocket of his coat, Sidney smiled at seeing the pistol resting there. He would win back his queen, even if it meant taking out the Savior. Besides, Emma had changed Regina. She was no longer the Evil Queen she once had been. Now she was nicer, calmer, and in control. She wasn't who she used to be.

Pulling his coat around himself, Sidney walked towards the wedding. The day was nice, and the wedding was of course outside. Regina loved the outside, and Emma loved Regina. It had worked out well.

Everyone was already seated, and the ceremony had begun. Emma had chosen to wear a suit to fit her style better, while Regina was of course in an elegant white gown fitting for a queen. They stood in front of the town, holding hands and smiling at each other like there was no one else in the room.

Sidney walked along the side of the seats, darting in between trees so no one would notice his presence. If anyone saw him, his plan would be ruined and he would never get his queen back. Once they were away from everyone and could talk, she would understand how she had been brainwashed by those around her.

Finally Sidney arrived to his predetermined hiding spot. He pulled the gun out of his coat and peeked around the tree. Regina and Emma were both about to say "I do". Once they did that, there was no going back, and no getting the Queen back.

Sidney stepped out from behind the tree and took aim at the back of Emma's head. Regina's dress would get bloody, but she would have reason for it soon enough. Plus a shot through the head was a quick way to go.

But what he hadn't planned on was Regina being able to see him. Or that just as he fired, Regina would push Emma out of the way and take the bullet herself.

No, Sidney hadn't planned on any of those things happening. But they did.

And as the wedding erupted into chaos and screams, Sidney put the gun away and ran. He couldn't be seen, or he would for sure be the first suspect.

But he had been seen. The only problem was that the witness was lying on the forest floor, passed out from blood loss due to the bullet in her side. As Sidney was running away from the crime scene, an ambulance was racing towards it.

* * *

Sitting in the waiting room, Emma was having a hard time figuring out why this had happened. It was her wedding day for goodness sakes. Couldn't she be happy for one day?

Sighing, Emma ran her fingers through her hair. David had been kind enough to drop her off some clothes to change into before going into the station to try and figure out who had fired the shot.

The shot that was supposed to have hit Emma.

"I'm supposed to be the hero, not her," Emma mumbled to herself. "If anyone should be back there right now, it's me."

Doctor Whale had assured Emma that Regina was going to be fine and make a full recovery, but Emma still had an uneasy feeling. The bullet had been meant for her. So why did Regina take it?

Logically, she knew that it was because Regina loved her and wanted to protect her from any harm. But Regina could have died! Then again, so could she.

Emma groaned and sat down heavily in her chair. This was all so complicated. What was supposed to have been the happiest day of her life had quickly turned into a hospital room nightmare. Just like any other time Emma tried to be happy, something always got in the way.

"Emma?" Whale called. "You can see her now."

Emma smiled at him before standing up and following him back to Regina's room.

* * *

Even though Regina wasn't awake yet, Emma still stayed in her room. She got comfy in the chair next to Regina's bed and took her hand, kissing the top of it gently.

"You scared me today," Emma said. "Whoever fired that shot was clearly aiming for me, and yet you're the one who ended up with the bullet in you. That seems a little messed up, don't you think?"

Emma wiped the tears off of her cheeks that she hadn't felt until now. "I'm supposed to be the hero. You're supposed to stay safe and happy and nothing bad is supposed to happen to you. You're the queen, and no one would hurt you."

"It wasn't a townsperson," Regina said quietly.

Emma looked up at her in surprise. "You're awake. How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Should I call Whale? He'll probably want to know that you're awake."

"Emma," Regina said, firmly but gently. "Calm down. I feel fine, just sore and a little fuzzy-brained."

"Okay," Emma said. "So if it wasn't a townsperson, than who was it?"

"Magic Mirror," Regina said. Before anything else could be said, Regina was back asleep. Emma stood up and brushed some hair out of her face before kissing her forehead.

Magic Mirror could only refer to one person. And that one person was going to pay a very heavy price.

* * *

Sidney saw Emma before he heard the sirens approaching. He decided to go out and talk to her anyway, hoping that explaining himself would get him some kind of pardon and a warning.

"I can explain," Sidney said, his hands in the air in surrender. "I have a logical explanation."

"You do?" Emma asked. "I would love to hear it. Because right now, my fiancé is in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound that wasn't meant for her."

"And I am very sorry for that," Sidney said. "She wasn't who I was aiming for. By choosing to save your life, she made the choice to give up her own."

"I know very well who you were aiming for," Emma growled. "But thank you for reminding me. And definitely thank you for admitting to the crime, so that now I can arrest your ass."

Emma pulled out handcuffs and quickly walked over to Sidney. She spun him around, not at all gently, and cuffed his hands. The sheriff's car pulled up behind her, and Emma shoved Sidney inside. Then she poofed back to Regina.

* * *

It had been 4 months since the shooting at the wedding, and Emma still refused to talk about it. She and Regina had gotten married shortly after Regina had been released, but every time Regina tried to mention what had happened, Emma either changed the subject or shut down.

"Emma?" Regina called.

"Right here," Emma said, walking out of the living room. "What's up?"

"We need to have a talk," Regina said. "Without you shutting down or running away from the conversation."

"This is about the shooting, isn't it?" Emma asked. "Because I really don't want to talk about that."

"I know," Regina said. "But why? Yes, I got hurt and our wedding got moved, but why can't we talk about it?"

"I am the Savior," Emma said. "Saving is what I do. But for some reason you had to go and get shot saving my life."

"That's called love," Regina said. "What was I supposed to do, let you get shot right in front of me?"

"I don't know," Emma mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. "It would have been easier than having to hold you as you bled all over the place and knowing that I couldn't do anything to help you. What kind of Savior can't save their own wife?"

Regina walked over and pulled Emma's arms away from herself before replacing them with her own. Emma hugged her back tightly, never wanting to let go.

"You are not going to be able to save everyone," Regina whispered. "And that is the hard part of being the Savior."

"I know," Emma said.

"And you know what the other part is?" Regina asked.

Emma huffed out a laugh. "Having to live with the guilt of the people I failed to save?"

"No," Regina scolded gently. "The other hard part is sometimes letting other people save you. Sometimes even the Savior needs saving."

"Fine," Emma said. "You can save me. Just no more getting shot. That's not allowed."

Regina laughed. "Deal."


	262. Day 262: A Cold and Some Soup

Regina had the cold to end all colds. It had started as just a simple scratchy throat, and had slowly turned into a stuffy nose and nonstop coughing.

Emma had tried to get her to take medicine, but Regina claimed that taking anything would just slow the healing process down. After all, people in the Enchanted Forest never took medications for something so simple.

The one thing Emma had convinced Regina to do was stay home and rest. The only reason Regina agreed was because she was too tired to do anything else, much less go to work.

Henry and Emma had reluctantly left her alone, making sure she was completely comfortable and had enough movies to watch. Regina didn't tell them that she would most likely be sleeping the whole day anyway, but just went with their wishes.

After a couple hours of sleeping, Regina woke up feeling fully rested and better than she had the past couple days when the cold had first hit. She coughed and sat up, careful to move slowly. Sitting up too fast would result in a coughing fit.

Once she was up and resituated, Regina turned on the TV and settled in for whatever movie Emma had put in before she had left for work. As the opening credits started to play, Regina smiled. Emma knew that her comfort movie was "Toy Story".

Regina had no idea why she turned to this movie whenever she was sick, but she had discovered it when Henry was little. She hadn't known anything about movies in the outside world, or even what movies were, and was pleasantly surprised with this one.

The first time Regina was sick, Emma had arrived home just as the movie was ending. Regina expected to be teased about it, but Emma just joined her in bed and watched the end before putting in the next one. Since then, Emma had made sure the movies were readily available.

About half way through the movie, Regina's eyelids began to droop. She didn't even try to fight it, and quickly fell back asleep.

* * *

Emma walked into the mansion and smiled at the sound of a movie playing upstairs. If a movie was playing, that meant Regina was starting to feel better, which was the goal.

She climbed the stairs and opened the door to their bedroom, smiling at the sight of "Toy Story" playing on the TV. She prided herself in how well she knew Regina.

Emma looked over to the bed and chuckled at seeing Regina sleeping. She had clearly tried to stay awake for the movie, she was sitting up, but had given into how tired she was and fallen asleep.

Backing out of the room as quietly as possible, Emma snuck back downstairs and into the kitchen. No matter how much crap Regina gave her, she really could cook. Or at least make some chicken noodle soup.

She had been in a foster home once that had loved cooking. Granted, the mother was mainly the one that did it, but every once in awhile the foster kids got to help make dinner. One day when Emma was sick, the mother had made chicken noodle soup for lunch. Emma had loved it, and demanded to know how to make it.

Emma got together all of her ingredients and began cooking. If there was any cure to a cold, it was chicken noodle soup. With a little love thrown in of course.

* * *

Regina woke up just as the movie was ending. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the TV in disappointment. She had wanted to actually watch the movie, not fall asleep during it.

The door opened slowly, and Emma stuck her head in. Her face lit up at seeing Regina awake. "Hey there."

"Hi," Regina said, yawning. "What are you doing home?"

Emma entered the room holding a tray. "Thought that you could use some cold remedy."

"I said no medicine," Regina protested.

"It's not medicine," Emma said, setting down the tray on Regina's lap. "It's called soup, which will help you feel at least a little better."

"What's in it?" Regina asked.

"Chicken, noodles, some carrots and celery," Emma said. "And of course, a lot of love. Told you I could cook."

"Soup is a very good step in the right direction," Regina teased, picking up her spoon. "Thank you for the extra love thrown in here."

"Anytime," Emma said, walking over to the DVD player. "Now then, let's get a different movie playing."

Regina ate her soup as Emma put in the movie and joined her on the bed. The opening of "Toy Story 2" started, and Regina couldn't help but smile. Suddenly her cold didn't seem so bad.


	263. Day 263: Stopping For Her

**Sorry for not posting yesterday, I forgot that I had to work!**

 _It had started off as a car chase, and finally Emma managed to cut Lily off. Emma was quick to get out of the car, and Lily got out of hers. Seeing her begin to walk away, Emma ran and grabbed her as Regina got out of the car._

" _Hey! Hey!" Emma shouted, blocking Lily's path. "No. You know everything. Did you know when we were kids?"_

" _Of course not," Lily said._

" _Now?" Emma asked._

" _Yeah," Lily said. "I learned it all."_

 _Emma's eyes widened. "How?"_

" _Does it really matter?" Lily countered. "It doesn't change anything. You screwed me over before we were even born."_

" _I had no more say in what happened than you did," Emma protested._

" _But your parents did," Lily said. "And the minute I get to Storybrooke-"_

" _You lay a hand on them and I'll end you!" Emma shouted, shoving Lily to the ground._

" _Emma, stop!" Regina called. She had chosen to stay back by the car, not wanting to get involved with the tension between Emma and Lily._

" _Yeah?" Lily asked. "And how are you going to do that without your magic, Savior?" She got to her feet and punched Emma in the face._

 _The headlights on the bug exploded, and a storm started brewing above them. Regina looked up at the sky in concern._

 _Emma turned back to Lily and wiped the blood from the edge of her mouth. She didn't even notice the storm that had suddenly appeared._

" _Your parents are monsters, Emma," Lily said. "They banished me and threw you in a wardrobe. And now here you are, ready to die for them because you're so perfect. The Savior. Well they deserve to be punished. And there's only one way to stop them and you know it."_

 _She reached out to push Emma, but Emma grabbed her arms. Emma spun them in a circle before throwing Lily to the ground and pulled out her gun, ready to shoot._

 _Lily huffed out a laugh from her knees. "Of course it ends this way. It just makes too much sense."_

" _I'm just trying to stop you from doing something you'll regret," Emma said, her face showing no emotion._

" _You can't," Lily said. "Thanks to you, I'm hardwired for bad decisions. So come on, just put me out of my misery. You know the truth. We both know my life isn't worth saving. And if you let me go, I will destroy everything. It's what I do. So come on, be the hero, and end this right here before it even starts."_

 _Emma stared at her, gun unmoving. While Lily had been saying all of this, Regina had slowly begun to walk forward, her hands at her side slightly faced up to show that she wasn't a threat to Emma._

 _Lilly threw her arms out to the side, exposing herself completely to the gun. "Come on Emma."_

 _Emma shifted her grip on the gun. "Swan," Regina said. "Put the gun down."_

 _She kept walking closer, and Emma's arms dropped slightly. But her aim was still at Lily's heart. "If you pull that trigger, you will be the one who ruins your life this time," Regina said. "And Henry's, and your parents', and everyone else's."_

" _I have to protect them," Emma whispered._

" _Then lower the gun," Regina said strongly. "Your parents need a hero, not a murderer."_

" _I'm already a murderer," Emma countered._

" _Cruella was an accident," Regina said. "But if you cross this line, the journey back isn't easy. Trust me, I know. This is what Gold wants you to do, so don't."_

 _Emma kept her gun in place, staring at Lily. Lily stared right back, waiting for death like it would be a gift._

" _Emma," Regina said. "You're better than this."_

 _Several more beats passed. Finally, Emma put down the gun, causing Regina to sigh in relief. Emma wasn't going to be a murderer today._

* * *

Regina sighed as she thought of how complicated things were. Her sister was now in town pregnant with Robin's child, and Robin was back in town and wanted to be with Regina.

Only problem? Regina had found a way to move on. And it was Emma Swan.

Their road trip together had proved it to her, and had made her realize that it had been a long time coming. Being with Robin had just been her way of combating Emma with Hook.

Stopping Emma from killing Lily earlier that day hadn't been out of anything but her love for Emma. She knew what it was like to kill for the first time, and how every time after that was more and more satisfying. She didn't want Emma to go down that slippery slope.

Regina ran her fingers through her hair and groaned. Of course things were complicated. That's just how it worked for her.

Just as Regina was about to go to the living room and pour herself some kind of alcohol, the doorbell rang. She sighed and went over to open it, looking in surprise at who was on the other side.

"Hi," Emma said. "I know that this is unexpected."

"Very much so," Regina said. She stepped to the side to grant Emma access into the house, which Emma took with a smile.

Regina closed the door behind Emma before walking to the living room, Emma closely behind her. She realized with a start that it almost seemed comfortable, as if Emma was meant to visit more often. Or stay.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. "You look like you're spacing out, and you almost just ran into the couch."

Regina chuckled before sitting down. "Sorry. I was distracted there for a moment."

Emma just smiled and sat down. "So, I'm guessing you're wondering why I'm here instead of protecting my parents."

"It crossed my mind," Regina said.

"I just wanted to thank you," Emma said. "For stopping me today, I mean. If you hadn't been there, I most likely would have killed Lily. Which we both know wouldn't have been good at all."

"Why did you stop?" Regina asked. "Most of the time, people don't stop when they're determined to kill someone."

"Speaking from experience?" Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Answer the question."

Emma sighed. "I stopped because you were right. I didn't want to ruin my life, or anyone else's."

Regina looked at her curiously. There was still something that she was hiding; Regina could see it in her eyes. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "I'm fine. I just wanted to come thank you for keeping me from doing something that I knew I would regret."

"That's not what I meant," Regina said. "There's another reason why you stopped today. What is it?"

Emma sighed. "I knew that if I killed Lily in front of you, you would never look at me the same way again. Plus I'm sure the town would have found some way to blame you for it."

"I would never have judged you for killing her," Regina said. "It's not like I haven't killed people before."

"But this was different," Emma said. "If I had killed Lily, I would have been ignoring your advice. You know what it's like to go down the path of darkness and fight for your way back. If I had ignored you, I knew that there was a good chance you would have never talked to me again because I had ignored you and killed someone."

"And that worried you?" Regina asked in surprise. She hadn't realized that her opinion meant so much to Emma.

"A lot," Emma admitted. "I didn't want to lose you over something stupid that I would have done. So I didn't pull the trigger."

Regina reached out and placed her hand over Emma's. "Do you know why I stopped you?"

"Why?" Emma asked, her gaze still stuck on Regina's hand over her own.

"Because I care about you too much to let you give into the darkness," Regina said. "Sometimes it is the easier way out, and it takes a true hero to reject that."

Emma turned her hand over and intertwined her fingers with Regina's. "I'm glad that I didn't pull the trigger today."

Regina smiled at the feeling of Emma's hand in her own. It felt right. "So am I."


	264. Day 264: Losing Control

Emma had lost control of her magic several times. Too many times to count in fact. Little things very easily set her off, and not in a good way. There were many times where Regina had to step in and calm her down before she hurt anyone. During these episodes, Regina was the only one Emma would let near her.

What no one was expecting was for Regina to lose control.

Regina had been doing magic for so long that it was second nature to her. Everyone knew that with a snap of her fingers, someone could be dead. And yet, for once she lost control.

The first clue that Emma got was when she came home and it looked like a tornado had gone off inside of the house. Regina would never have allowed a mess like this to happen, unless she was the one who had caused it.

Henry was still at school, thankfully, so Emma took the opportunity to explore the house and see if she could find Regina, or whatever had set her off.

After what felt like hours of searching, Emma finally admitted defeat at finding Regina. She was nowhere to be found in the house. Which meant that she was out in the town. Not good.

Emma knew what uncontrolled magic felt like, but she doubted that Regina did. Regina wasn't born with magic; she made it happen. Since the beginning of having magic, Regina was in control. She knew how to calm Emma down, but sometimes it was impossible to calm yourself down.

Running back up to their room, Emma grabbed a shirt of Regina's to use to locate her. There were too many places in town to hide that Regina could destroy before Emma found her.

As Emma grabbed the shirt, something shiny caught her eye. She glanced over to their bed and saw what looked like a band of gold. Walking closer, Emma realized what it was. Regina's wedding ring from her time being married to Leopold.

Cursing, Emma picked up the ring and ran to her bug. She had to find Regina, and fast. While Emma might be powerful, Regina was pretty even with her. If Regina got too out of control, the whole town would be demolished.

* * *

The shirt guided Emma to the forest, which really shouldn't have surprised her. The forest was where Emma ran to every time she lost control. It was open, people were hardly in it, and you could let some magic lose on trees.

But as she kept walking deeper into the forest, Emma began to get worried. She hadn't been this deep into the forest before, and doubted that Regina had either. If they got lost, there wasn't a whole lot that Emma could do.

Finally Emma saw her. She was sitting on a log, her head in her hands, breathing heavily. With every exhale her hands shook, and purple sparks lit up.

Emma's heart broke for her. Being out of control without anyone to help was the worst feeling in the world. She hoped that she could help and get Regina home instead of making things worse.

"Regina?" Emma called softly.

Regina's head snapped up. "Emma? What are you doing here?"

"The house was a mess and you were nowhere to be found," Emma said gently, walking closer to her. "I figured that something had happened, so I used a locator spell to find you."

"You need to get out of here," Regina said, standing up and backing away from her. "I've never lost control before, and I don't know how to get it back. I'm dangerous right now."

"I know," Emma said, holding her hands up. "But listen to me. You can get control back. You've helped me loads of times, remember? You know how to calm down and get control."

Regina shook her head. "This is different. I don't ever lose control."

"You don't," Emma agreed. "But there's a first time for everything."

"I don't calm down the same way you do," Regina said. "You can't have me take deep breaths and visualize being safe and at home and to accept my magic. I have accepted my magic. I just, I don't know."

"I do," Emma said. She pulled the ring out of her pocket and held it up for Regina to see.

"Where did you get that?" Regina asked, her hands lighting up. She looked down at them in panic, willing them with her eyes to stop. Emma recognized that look. She'd done it many times before.

"Look at me," Emma commanded. Regina looked at her, her eyes pleading with Emma to put the ring away. She couldn't stand to look at it.

"The man who forced this onto your finger is dead," Emma said strongly. "He isn't around anymore. He can't hurt you. You don't need to use your magic to defend yourself because there's nothing to defend yourself from. It's just you and me. You're safe."

"I'm safe," Regina repeated, visibly relaxing.

Emma smiled as the sparks in Regina's hands died down. She waited until Regina looked at her before holding up the ring and throwing it as far away as possible.

Regina watched with wide eyes as the ring sailed away from view. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you don't need a reminder of something like that," Emma said. "What you need to focus on is us right now. No more reminders of the horrible past that you had. Just a reminder of the amazing future."

Regina smiled before walking forward and wrapping Emma in a hug. "Thank you for helping me get my control back."

Emma smiled and hugged her back. "You would have done the same for me."


	265. Day 265: Lola's Bedtime Story

**Only 100 days left! Crazy right?**

"Ma," Lola called as Emma went to shut her bedroom door. "Will you tell me a story before I fall asleep?"

"Sure," Emma said, walking to her bookshelf. "What do you want me to read?"

"I don't want you to read anything," Lola said. "I want you to tell me a story."

"Okay," Emma said slowly. "What do you want this story to be about exactly? Or do I have to decide?"

"I want it to be about you," Lola said. "Anything about you throughout your life."

Emma thought about it for a few seconds before sitting on the edge of Lola's bed with a smile. "Okay. I'm going to tell you the story of how I met your mom."

Lola wrinkled her little nose. "This story isn't going to be all lovey is it?"

Emma laughed. "No, it won't. Actually it starts off completely different than that. When I first got to town all those years ago, we sort of hated each other. "

"You did?" Lola asked in disbelief.

"We did," Emma admitted. "She thought that I was going to take Henry from her, and we ended up getting into lots of fights and trying to hurt each other."

"What made you stop?" Lola asked.

"Over time we started to build a friendship," Emma said. "We came to an understanding that we both wanted what was best for Henry, and that included both of us being in his life. So we set aside our differences and worked together for Henry."

"And then you got married and had me!" Lola said excitedly.

Emma chuckled. "It wasn't quite that easy, Lo. Around the time that we realized we had feelings for each other, I was dealing with some boy issues."

"Boy issues?" Lola asked. "Boys are yucky."

"I was dating a boy when I found out that I was in love with your mom," Emma said. "I didn't know what to do, so I kept it a secret for a long time."

"What made you tell her?" Lola asked.

Emma smiled. "I sacrificed myself to become the Dark One so that she wouldn't. We talked about why I did it later, and I ended up admitting my feelings."

"You sacrificed yourself?" Lola asked. "I could never be able to do that."

"You'll understand some day," Emma said. "Some people are just worth sacrificing yourself for. Now, you need to get some sleep."

"But what happened next?" Lola demanded.

"You know what happened next," Emma said, tucking Lola in and kissing her forehead. "We dated for awhile, got married, and then had you and adopted Ava. The End."

Lola huffed in annoyance before snuggling under her covers. "Night Ma."

"Night Lo," Emma said, flipping off her light. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

"I liked your story," Regina said as Emma walked into their bedroom.

"You heard that?" Emma asked. "I didn't think that I was talking that loud. Sorry if I woke you or anyone else up."

"You didn't," Regina said, smirking. "I was standing outside of the door."

Emma rolled her eyes before climbing into bed next to Regina. "Of course you were. Why wouldn't I have expected you to be listening?"

Regina laughed and turned on her side to face Emma. "I was interested in what you had to say. I think that you covered the sequence of things perfectly."

"You mean the fact that we hated each other, became friends, and then fell in love?" Emma asked. "Followed by getting married and having 2 more children?"

"Technically we had one child," Regina pointed out. "The other one is adopted."

"Technicalities," Emma said.

Regina smiled before leaning forward and resting her forehead against Emma's. "I'm glad that we sorted out everything and are where we are now."

"Me too," Emma said. "I can't imagine a life where I'm not Emma Swan-Mills. I don't want to."

Regina kissed her gently. "I love you so much."

"I love you more," Emma countered.

Regina just chuckled. "Not possible."

 **Little bit of fluff for a Sunday :)**


	266. Day 266: Reunion

**This chapter is for KlaineLoverFan525 with the prompt: "Snow and Charming can finally both be awake at the same time and the reunion of them and add some swanqueen and snowing family celebration."**

Regina yawned and rolled over, fully expecting to feel the body of her girlfriend beside her. Instead, she was met with an empty mattress. A cold one, to be accurate. Emma had been gone for a while.

Mentally groaning, Regina reluctantly got out of bed. She knew that Emma had been having a problem sleeping lately, but that didn't mean that she should just get up and give up on trying to get some sleep.

Walking downstairs, Regina immediately saw the light on in her study. Emma knew that Regina didn't like her in there, especially considering how many magical books she kept there that could prove dangerous if in the wrong hands.

Regina pushed open the door to her study, fully expecting to catch Emma asleep on her desk in the middle of reading a book. Instead, she saw Emma flipping furiously through book after book before throwing them to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. "I don't believe that the books did anything to you."

Emma jumped. "I thought you were sleeping."

"And I thought you were sleeping," Regina countered. "And yet here we both are. In my study. In the middle of the night."

"Sorry if my lack of presence woke you," Emma said. "But I need to check all of these books. They could have the information that I need."

"What information do you need?" Regina asked, sitting in one of the chairs across from her desk. She figured they were going to be up for awhile.

Emma sighed. "A way to wake up my parents. They're the representatives of True Love. If they can't be with each other, what kind of hope does that send to everyone else? I have to find a way to break this curse."

"Emma, that's not possible," Regina said. "No magic will ever be able to break that curse. Their hearts are connected."

"What if we disconnected them?" Emma asked.

"Then they would both die," Regina said simply. "They need to be connected or they'll both only have half of a heart. Which I'm pretty sure isn't right."

"There has to be a way," Emma said, grabbing another book. "There has to be."

"And we'll find it," Regina said, getting up from her chair. She walked over and grabbed the book gently from Emma's hands, setting it on her desk. "But right now, we need to get some sleep."

Emma reached back for the book. "But-"

"But nothing," Regina said, grabbing her hands and pulling her from the study, shutting the lights off with the flick of her wrist. "We are going to get some sleep, and in the morning we can continue this search."

Emma had no choice but to follow her upstairs.

* * *

It took another month, but Emma and Regina finally managed to figure out a way to get Snow and Charming awake at the same time. It was risky, but worth it in the end.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" David asked. He was the one awake at the moment, which Emma and Regina were both glad for. Snow most likely wouldn't have gone along with the plan. After all, it was David who was risking his life more. Snow's heart was the one beating for them both.

"Not completely sure," Emma said honestly. "About 95% sure."

"That's encouraging," David mumbled. "Okay. Let's give it a go."

Regina handed David a vial of pink and gold liquid. In doing research, Regina and Emma had discovered that the solution was way too obvious. True Love broke every curse, including this one.

Emma had stolen hairs from both of her parents, mixed their love together in a vial, and was now presenting it to her father. Essentially, the potion would give Snow and David their own hearts, breaking the curse entirely.

"Bottoms up," David said, downing the vial.

Emma and Regina watched him for any signs of discomfort. If the spell went wrong, Snow's heart would be turned whole, killing David in the process.

"We're awake at the same time," Snow said, walking out from the bedroom. "Am I dreaming again?"

"No," David said, a huge smile blossoming on his face. "This is very real. We're both awake at the same time. The curse is broken."

Snow smiled before running into his arms, both of them happy to be in the waking presence of the other. It was good to be together again.

"Told you," Regina said, intertwining her fingers with Emma's. "True Love conquers all."


	267. Day 267: Dares and Confessions

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Ruby wants Emma and Regina to have their happy ending, but neither make a move so she takes things in her hands. She's facing Emma and tells her that she is coward for not confessing her feelings for Regina, especially when Regina feels the same, and dares her to do it.(Emma confesses her feelings to Regina, so does Regina)Then Regina goes to Granny's, happy that finally she and Emma feel the same. She hears, accidentally, Ruby talking with Emma that she is the one that told to Emma to tell that she has feelings for Regina. Regina misunderstands the situation and she's hurt, thinking that all of this was a way just to humiliate her. Happy ending of course (after Emma explains what really happened).**

"You are such a coward," Ruby said, coming to stand in front of Emma.

Emma looked up in surprise from her food. "What are you talking about?"

"The fact that you haven't confessed your feelings to Regina yet," Ruby said. "Obviously she feels the same, so why haven't you made a move yet?"

"Maybe because she most definitely doesn't feel the same?" Emma asked, popping a fry into her mouth. "I'd rather not humiliate myself."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic. I know that she feels the same. Trust me."

"You're not exactly the most trustworthy," Emma teased.

"Fine," Ruby said. "Then I dare you to confess your feelings to Regina. And we both know that you've never been able to turn down a dare."

"I haven't," Emma agreed. "Fine. I'll take your dare. I'll confess my feelings to Regina, and we can both wallow in my rejection later tonight."

"We shall see," Ruby said, picking up her tray. "I have to get back to work. And I believe you have a confession to make."

Emma huffed before paying for her meal and leaving Granny's. If only she didn't have a problem saying no to dares. Getting in her bug, she sent a text for Regina to meet her in the woods before driving away from Granny's. Tonight would be interesting.

* * *

"What are we doing out here?" Regina asked, walking into view. "Finally planning on killing me, and this would be the easiest place to hide the body?"

"I think you're confusing me with you," Emma said. "I don't kill people. And even if I did, I'm not stupid enough to hide the body in the woods. Too predictable, and Pongo would sniff you out way too quickly."

"Glad to see that you have this planned out," Regina said, crossing her arms. "So what are we doing out here?"

"This is the spot where I first realized how much that I cared about you," Emma said. "My mom and I had just gotten away from yours and escaped back to this land. You could have died saving us, but you sacrificed yourself anyway."

"I couldn't very well let the Savior and Snow White die," Regina said. "I don't think the town would have appreciated that very much."

"Probably not," Emma agreed. "But there's another reason why I chose this place."

"Why's that?" Regina asked.

Emma took a deep breath. "Because right after I realized that I cared about you, I realized why I cared. And it's because I have feelings for you. More than a friendship type feelings I mean."

"You have feelings for me?" Regina asked. "This isn't some trick?"

"No!" Emma exclaimed. "I could never do that to you. I do have feelings for you, I promise. I want to be with you."

Regina smiled. "Okay. Well in that case, I have feelings for you too. I've just always been scared to say anything."

"So have I," Emma admitted.

Regina's phone went off, indicating a text from Henry. "Shoot, I forgot to tell Henry where I was going. I have to go, but we could meet at Granny's in 10 minutes to continue this talk?"

"Sure," Emma said. She smiled as Regina poofed away. Never had completing a dare felt so good.

* * *

"I'm going to take your smile as a good sign," Ruby said as Emma walked into the diner.

"Very much so," Emma said, plopping into her usual booth. "Turns out you were right. We did both have feelings for each other, and were just scared to admit it."

The bell at the entrance of the diner jingled, but Emma and Ruby didn't notice. Nor did they notice that Regina was the one who had walked in.

"And who's the best friend ever?" Ruby asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You are."

"And why am I the best friend ever?" Ruby prompted.

"Because you dared me to admit my feelings to Regina, and now we're a couple," Emma said. She couldn't help but smile at saying that last part.

Regina was completely shocked. Emma had been dared into admitting her feelings. Of course she was. And then Regina had been an idiot and said that she felt the same. Emma was trying to do nothing but embarrass her.

Turning around, Regina walked quickly out of the diner. "Uh, are you supposed to be meeting Regina?" Ruby asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Because she's getting back in her car and looks like she's about to drive away," Ruby said.

Emma jumped up from her seat and ran outside, barely managing to get in front of Regina's car in time. "What are you doing?" Regina asked, parking her car. "I could have hit you!"

"Where are you going?" Emma asked. "I thought we were going to continue talking."

"I overheard you talking to Ruby," Regina said. "The only reason you said those things today was because she told you to. Dared you to."

"She only dared me to say something to you," Emma said. "What I said was entirely mine. I do have feelings for you Regina, I swear. The only reason Ruby dared me to tell you in the first place is because I'm a coward and needed a push."

Regina looked at her skeptically. "So you weren't just making those things up to embarrass me?"

"That's what you thought I was doing?" Emma asked. "Regina I'm so sorry. I promise that I will never embarrass you on purpose."

"What about by accident?" Regina asked.

"Well I can't promise that," Emma said. "I do a lot of stupid stuff that will make you embarrassed to be seen with me."

Regina laughed. "I suppose I can handle that."

"Good," Emma said, smiling. "Now, why don't we get some food? I'm starving."


	268. Day 268: Sight

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Either Emma, Regina or maybe both? lose a key sense (i.e. Their hearing or sight) and the other has to help them through it."**

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, walking into Regina's crypt.

"Experimenting," Regina replied, completely distracted by the potion in front of her. "I'm trying to figure out exactly how tied that the Evil Queen and I are."

"I think we already established that it was pretty direct," Emma said. "Like Jekyll and Hyde."

"I know," Regina said. "But this is a different kind of test."

"I don't like the sound of that," Emma said. "What exactly are you planning to do with whatever it is that you're making?"

"I'm going to get rid of my sight and see if it does the same to the Evil Queen," Regina said. "If she can't see, it will be much harder to ruin our lives."

"But what about you?" Emma asked. "You won't be able to see at all."

"That's why I have you," Regina said. "I doubt that the Evil Queen has anyone helping her with her sight."

"So what, we render you blind until she's gone?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Unless it doesn't work on us both. In which case, we would give me my sight back and move on like nothing happened."

"This seems too risky," Emma said. "I don't like it."

"I figured that you wouldn't," Regina said, smiling. "But I have to do this. If I can catch her off guard, we could have an even better chance at taking her down. She's used to always being in control, but without your sight, you can't be in control of anything."

"You're crazy," Emma said, shaking her head. "What if it becomes permanent?"

"Then I guess you're stuck with a blind wife," Regina teased.

"Not funny," Emma said. "I'm serious. What happens if something goes wrong and you're permanently blind?"

"I'm not going to think about that," Regina said. "As long as I remain happy during this process and relax, I'll be fine."

Emma sighed. "Fine. Go ahead."

Regina smiled and squeezed her arm gently before taking her creation and drinking it in one gulp. It took a couple seconds, but her vision finally turned completely black. She smiled as she thought of the Evil Queen collapsing somewhere, unable to see anything.

"What are you smiling about?" Emma asked.

"Just the thought of the Evil Queen as her vision just goes black," Regina said. "I don't know where she is right now, but I have a feeling things are about to get interesting with her."

Setting down her cup, Regina went to leave the room, but ran into the coffee table. After several more failed attempts, Regina finally left the room. Emma had offered to help, but of course she was shot down.

"You're going to need my help eventually!" Emma called after Regina.

Regina just rolled her eyes. "Am not!"

* * *

Turns out Regina was the one wrong this time. After only a couple hours, she already needed Emma's help. Emma gladly jumped in, summoning David on an extra watch in case anyone needed anything.

"What do you need help with?" Emma asked, walking into the mansion. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," Regina said. "I just need your assistance with something small."

"Okay," Emma said. "What exactly am I helping you do?"

"Take a bath," Regina said, leading the way upstairs. "I can't exactly do that without risking drowning."

"And we definitely don't want that," Emma said, wrapping her arm around Regina's. She helped her up the stairs and into the bathroom before drawing her a bath with the perfect temperature.

"Thank you," Regina said. "For all that you've been doing throughout this whole process. I hope that I can get my sight back soon. I miss seeing your face."

Emma smiled and put her hand over Regina's. "Don't worry. We'll catch the Evil Queen, and you'll have your sight back in no time."

"I trust you," Regina said. "Now then, are you going to help me with this bath or not?"

 **700 reviews? That's amazing! Thank you guys so much for reviewing and giving me prompts! Love to you all!**


	269. Day 269: Midnight Cravings

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "While pregnant with Lola, Regina develops a strong craving for a certain type of food. One night she has a major midnight craving, causing Emma to get out of bed and go out in the middle of the night to make her wife happy."**

So far, Regina's pregnancy had been easy. Her mood swings had been fairly manageable, minus the one time that Emma had grabbed Henry to hide from her wrath, but her cravings were what made Emma want to go crazy.

It wasn't that she was hungry all the time. It came in random spurts, going from being satisfied and fine to instantly wanting a certain food. It changed every week, and Emma could never keep up with what Regina was craving. Her lack of memory made things worse most of the time.

This week her craving was for popcorn. Emma had always liked popcorn, so it wasn't really that big of a deal to make some. Then she could have a snack too. But, things quickly turned and Emma no longer liked popcorn as much as she once did.

It was midnight, and Emma was fast asleep when she felt a poking sensation in her side. Groaning, she rolled over to face whatever was poking her. She was met with the very awake dark brown eyes of her wife, a slight look of pleading on her face.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, covering her mouth as a large yawn escaped.

"I'm hungry," Regina said. "But not just for anything. I really want popcorn."

Emma groaned. "Regina, do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Midnight," Regina said. "But if you really loved me it wouldn't matter. And the baby. The baby wants popcorn too."

"How could you possibly know what the baby wants?" Emma asked.

"Because I crave whatever the baby wants," Regina said. "And if I'm craving popcorn, that means that the baby wants popcorn and you have no choice but to get me some. It's a part of good parenting."

Emma laughed. "That is the most absurd explanation I have ever heard."

Regina stuck out her bottom lip in a perfect pout. "Please? I really want popcorn."

Emma sighed before pulling the covers off and getting out of bed. "You're lucky I love you."

"I know," Regina said, smiling. "I love you too!"

* * *

Emma walked back upstairs with a large bowl of popcorn and a movie. If they were going to eat popcorn, they might as well stay up and watch a movie. After all, that was the best way to eat popcorn.

As she opened the bedroom door, Emma could immediately tell that Regina was fast asleep. She set the bowl down and sat on the edge of the bed before shaking Regina lightly. "Hey. Gina. I got your popcorn."

Regina's eyes slowly opened and she smiled upon smelling the popcorn. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma said. "Now sit up. I don't want you eating while lying down."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Yes mother."

Emma chuckled before grabbing the bowl and handing it to Regina. "I thought that we could watch a movie too. After all, what's popcorn without a movie?"

Regina smiled as she popped a couple kernels in her mouth. "You make a very good point."


	270. Day 270: Magical Hero

Lola had never gotten in trouble before. She always behaved, got her schoolwork in on time, and was basically the poster child for good character. She had many friends, and was quite popular amongst her class.

And then one day, everything changed. A new boy had arrived at school, and was very quiet. He didn't know anyone, but most people took his quietness as an opportunity to pick on him. After all, quiet kids were easy targets.

It was lunchtime, and everyone was at their usual tables. High school wasn't like what the movies depicted at all, as Lola had found out on the first day. But, some things were true. Like who sat with who at lunch.

Lola sat at her usual table with all of her friends, the school-dubbed "cool table", and watched as the new kid looked around the lunchroom with a bit of sadness and terror. She remembered her first day of high school, except she had had her girls with her.

She went to wave the new kid over when he started walking towards what everyone knew was the "bad boy" table. Everyone there had broken thousands of rules and was written up and sent to the office about 10 times a day.

"He's not making a good move," Maggie whispered to Lola. "Should we go help him out?"

"And risk getting our butts kicked?" Maci, Maggie's twin, whispered. "No way! Let's just see how this plays out."

Lola rolled her eyes. She loved Maggie and Maci to death, but they weren't the brightest tools in the shed. Out of all of Lola's friends, they were the ones who made her laugh the most.

"You guys are being ridiculous," Angela said, rolling her eyes. "We can't just sit here and watch him get his ass kicked by those tough guys."

"Too late," Emily said, pointing at the table. "Look."

The group of girls looked over at the bad boy table. Sure enough, the new kid's lunch was on the ground and the ringleader, Brock, was lifting him into the air.

"We can't just let him get beaten up," Lola said. "He was just trying to make friends!"

"Lola, you can't interfere," Angela said. "You know the unspoken rule. Ringleaders don't mess with each other. We live our happy little lives without ever talking to each other at lunch. That's how it works."

"I'm not going to let him get beaten up," Lola said strongly, standing up. Purple and white sparks danced on the end of her fingertips as she walked over to Brock. The rest of the girls looked away. This wasn't going to be good.

* * *

Regina stood outside of the high school, waiting impatiently for Emma to show up. She had been in the middle of a meeting when she had gotten a phone call from Lola's school that she was in the principal's office for using her magic on another student.

For as long as she had had magic, Emma and Regina had given Lola one rule: never use magic on another person unless it's an emergency.

"Hey," Emma greeted as she walked up to Regina. "Before you say anything, take a few deep breaths. No freaking out. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this."

"She used her magic on another person!" Regina argued. "We've only given her one rule, and she broke it."

"We told her not to use magic on another person unless it was an emergency," Emma countered. "You have no idea what went on that she used her magic for. Give her some credit."

Regina sighed. "Fine. You're right. But if it was for something little like a stolen crush-"

"I know," Emma said, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. "You'll ground her until she's dead."

The principal looked slightly intimidated as Regina and Emma walked into the room. After all, it's not everyday that the mayor and the Savior walk into your office to deal with their magical child.

"Good afternoon to the both of you," the principal greeted. "I have heard much about you as I'm sure you can guess, and it's lovely to meet you at last. Although I wish it was under better circumstances."

"As do I," Regina said, glaring at Lola. Emma kicked her lightly.

"I swear I have a good reason," Lola said. "There was this new kid, and he was going to be beaten up by Brock. Nobody stands up to Brock, but I couldn't just let this new kid get beaten up. The only way to stop him was with magic."

"Did you try words?" Emma asked.

"Of course I did," Lola said. "I told him to put the kid down, but he didn't. So I gave him a little shock, that's all."

"She could have done worse," Emma said, looking at her wife and the principal.

"That's not the point," Regina said. "Lola, we give you rules for a reason. You aren't supposed to use your magic to hurt other people, ever."

"I was helping another person!" Lola said. "You two use your magic on other people to be hero's all the time! I was just doing the same thing."

The principal folded his hands under his chin and leaned forward. "I understand the situation perfectly, and I have no doubt that you did the right thing. However, I will have to give you one lunch detention for engaging in a fight."

"Fine," Lola said. "That I'll take."

* * *

As soon as they got home, Lola ran up to her room. She didn't want to talk to either of her mothers, especially Regina.

"Lo," Emma called after her. Lola just kept running.

"Just leave her," Regina said. "When she comes down, then we can give out her punishment."

"What punishment?" Emma asked. "I don't think that's necessary. She didn't do anything wrong."

Regina looked at Emma in disbelief. "Are you crazy? She used her magic-"

"To help another person," Emma interrupted. "We should be rewarding her! She was doing what we used to do on a daily basis, and still have to do sometimes. She used her magic in a good way to help someone who was in need. So what if she hurt this other kid? He deserved it."

"That's a twisted way to look at it," Regina mumbled.

"Maybe," Emma said. "But at the same time, true."

Regina sighed. "Fine. No punishment. But if she ever uses her magic on someone again-"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't make empty threats. Besides, Lola is a magical hero and you know it."

 **Kind of a more Lola-focused chapter, but I liked the idea.**


	271. Day 271: Someone Better

"Regina!" Emma called after her girlfriend, running after her towards the house. "Will you slow down? Stop trying to get away from me!"

Regina spun around. "The point is to get away from you!"

"Why?" Emma asked. "You've been avoiding me all week, and now this? Care to explain what in the world is going on?"

"It doesn't matter," Regina said. "What matters is that we should stay apart for awhile. At least until you get your head straight."

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's arm as she turned and went to walk back towards the mansion. "What are you talking about? Why would I need to get my head straight?"

"Because," Regina said, her back to Emma. "You deserve someone better."

"What?" Emma gasped. "What makes you think that?"

"Does it matter?" Regina asked. "My eyes were opened and I realized that no matter what, you will always deserve better. I'm nothing more than a broken Evil Queen."

"Regina you are so much more than that," Emma said, gently turning her around. "You're smart, a wonderful mother, and most importantly, you're the woman that I love. Who could be better than that?"

"You're the Savior," Regina said.

"I was also the Dark One," Emma countered. "If you have baggage, then so do I. And we work through it, together. That's what we always do."

"I know," Regina said. "But she said-" She quickly cut herself off, hoping that Emma hadn't noticed her slip up.

"She?" Emma asked. "Who's this she that you just mentioned?"

"No one," Regina said quickly. "I misspoke."

"Regina," Emma warned.

Regina bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "My eyes may have been opened by another person speaking and I overheard her."

"Who?" Emma asked, pure fury evident on her face and in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter," Regina said. "What matters is that she was right and that you deserve better. You should just move on and find someone else."

"Regina," Emma said. "I'm going to ask you one last time before I go around this whole entire town and torture it out of someone. Who told you that I could do better?"

Regina sighed. "Ruby."

* * *

Regina had tried to stop Emma from leaving, but she had gotten into her bug too quickly and had sped away.

People walking in the street had to jump out of the way as Emma came speeding down Main Street towards the diner. Emma screeched to a stop and jumped out, not even bothering to lock her car.

The door to the diner slammed open as Emma strode inside. As she approached the counter, everyone in the diner went quiet, wondering what she was going to do. Since she had been the Dark One, everyone knew not to mess with her. But clearly someone had.

"Em," Ruby said, walking over quickly. "What's going on? You look like you want to murder someone."

"Tell me something," Emma said, fury dripping from her voice. "Is it customary for you to talk to other customers about who's good for me and who isn't?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "I didn't know she heard me."

"Well she did," Emma hissed. "And she's been avoiding me, and I finally got her to spill it today. Who do you think you are, talking about how I should be with someone better?"

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Ruby said. "You could do better. She's-"

"The woman I love," Emma interrupted. "And nothing you say will change that. I plan on being with her for a very long time, and if you have a problem with that, I'm sure we can find a more private place to work that out."

Ruby's eyes widened. No one wanted to be alone with Emma anymore outside of her family. She wasn't who she once was.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the diner opened and Regina stepped inside. She quickly walked over and grabbed Emma's arm, pulling her towards the door. "I thought that I might find you here. Let's go."

"No," Emma said, pulling her arm out of Regina's grasp. "I'm not done here."

"I'm sorry," Ruby said, looking at Regina. "I shouldn't have said what I did. You two are good for each other, and should stay together. I didn't mean to cause any trouble with my big mouth."

"Maybe you should keep it shut from now on," Emma growled. "Bet I could fix that."

Ruby visibly paled and took a step back. The atmosphere in the diner quickly switched from tension to outright fear. No one knew what to do. Except for Regina.

"Emma," Regina said, grabbing her hand. "Look at me."

Emma kept staring at Ruby, completely oblivious to Regina's request. So she tried again. "Emma. Look at me."

Finally, Emma blinked and shook her head, looking at Regina with wide eyes. "What?"

"You're better than this," Regina said. "Fight it. Fight the darkness. Whatever you're thinking about doing to Ruby, let it go. Let the anger drain out of you. Everything is fine."

Emma looked back at Ruby. "But-"

"Eyes on me," Regina commanded. Emma's eyes snapped back to her obediently. "This isn't worth it. Please, just let it go. Let's go home."

Emma looked like she was debating with herself before nodding. "Okay. Let's go home."

The whole diner sighed in relief as soon as they were gone. "You were wrong," Granny said to Ruby. "If it wasn't for Regina, you would have been dead."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "I guess there is no one better for Emma Swan than Regina Mills."

 **And every SQ fan agrees with that.**


	272. Day 272: Happy Tears

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Regina walked around skeptically as she set down her purse and took off her shoes. Something was up.

She checked the whole entire house, but Emma and Henry were nowhere to be found. Funny, considering they had told her that they would be at home the whole day.

Regina had left a couple hours ago for her most recent doctor's appointment, and Emma and Henry had both assured her that they would be home for any comfort needed when she got back. So then where were they?

Sighing, Regina made her way to the living room. It was the designated "comfort spot" for everyone in the mansion with its soft couches and fluffy pillows. Plus the big TV and all of the movies.

As she went to sit down, Regina noticed a note on her usual spot on the couch. Picking it up, Regina unfolded it and read the note inside.

"Dear Regina," it read. "I know that you're probably wondering why Henry and I aren't home right now. Well, you're just going to have to find out. I know that the curiosity is going to kill you enough to make you leave the house, so come to Granny's when you're ready. We'll be waiting."

Regina sighed as she folded the note again. This was clearly another attempt of Emma's to get her out of the house after what had happened, and she wasn't going to go for the bait. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.

Plopping down on the couch, Regina turned on the TV and began flipping through channels. But as she kept looking, she couldn't help but keep glancing at the note sitting on the couch beside her. What were Emma and Henry up to?

Groaning, Regina shut off the TV and walked back to the foyer, putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse. Emma knew her too well. Her curiosity was killing her.

* * *

Regina sat in her car, staring at the entrance to Granny's. Everything looked normal enough, except for the fact that the inside was dark. That was a little off, but then again, this was Storybrooke. Anything could happen.

Glancing around to make sure that no one would see her, Regina got out of her car and walked quickly to the door of Granny's. She sighed in relief when she felt it open, and walked into the darkness of the diner.

"Hello?" Regina called. "Is anyone here?"

The lights suddenly turned on, and Regina gasped. Everyone in the room looked just like she did. She wasn't alone anymore.

"Surprise," Emma said, stepping forward with a smile and wrapping Regina in a tight hug. "I knew that you wouldn't be able to resist."

"Why did you do this?" Regina asked, lightly brushing her fingers over Emma's now bald head.

Emma shrugged. "You had to get rid of your hair, and I knew that it was bothering you that you looked so different from everyone else. So a group of willing people came together to help."

Regina smiled as tears started to blur her vision. "What's wrong?" Henry asked. "Do you not like the surprise?"

"Oh no my little prince, I love it," Regina said, hugging him tightly. "These are happy tears."


	273. Day 273: Curiosity

"I can't find Lola," Regina said, walking into the bedroom in a panic. "She's not anywhere in the house, and she's supposed to be."

"I'm sure she just snuck out to be with friends," Emma said. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Don't be so sure," Regina said. "Haven't you noticed all the questions that she's been asking lately? About my vault?"

"What, you think she snuck out to find your vault?" Emma asked. "Don't be ridiculous, Gina. There's nothing in there that she would want anyway. The actual vault part is under your mother's coffin, and she would never touch that and move it."

"I know, but think about what could happen if she actually got down there," Regina said. "There's still the room of hearts. And we hid the book down there. She could learn everything."

"She already knows the basics," Emma said. "It's not like reading the book will teach her anything she doesn't already know."

Regina sighed before plopping down onto the bed next to Emma. "But think about it. She knows that I was the Evil Queen, but never how evil I was. That vault is full of things that define who I was and what I did. I don't want her seeing that."

Emma reached over and grabbed her hand. "Who's saying that she'll even find the vault? It's in the middle of the forest."

"Have you met our daughter?" Regina asked. "She'll find a way to get anything she wants."

"Good point," Emma said. "Fine. Let's go check and see if she found it. If not, we'll find her and take her home."

* * *

They arrived at Regina's vault 30 seconds later due to the wonderful magic of poofing, only to see Lola sitting on the step leading inside.

"Lola!" Regina called, running towards her. "What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be at home."

"I poofed myself here," Lola said. "I don't know how, but I did. And now, I've seen things that I never wanted to see."

"You did?" Emma asked. "Like what?"

"There's a room down there full of beating hearts," Lola said. "And when I took one out, I swear that I could hear someone screaming."

Regina winced. This is exactly why she had forbidden Lola from going down there. Ava never would, and Henry knew everything. But Lola was curious, and had only been told very little.

"And there was this room with a mirror too," Lola continued. "And in the room were a bunch of magical objects that I'm sure have to be dangerous." She looked at Regina with large eyes. "Who _are_ you?"

"Lola," Emma scolded, trying to ignore the distraught face of her wife. "She is your mother. Yes, she had a rough past and did some evil things. But that's all done now, and she's changed."

"Then why keep all of that stuff?" Lola asked. "Why keep all of those evil things?"

"So no one else will get to them," Regina said softly. "No one can get into my vault without blood magic now. Those items are all dangerous, especially in the wrong hands."

"What about the hearts?" Lola asked. "Why can't those go back to their rightful owners?"

"All of the heart's left are of people who live in the Enchanted Forest and escaped the curse," Regina said. "There's no way to return a heart to someone if they're not here."

Lola looked at her skeptically before nodding. "Fine. I apologize for going into your vault." Before Emma or Regina could say anything more, Lola poofed home.

Regina sat down heavily on the step that Lola had just left. "Did you see the way she looked at me?"

Emma sighed. "Regina…"

"She looked at me like I was a monster," Regina whispered. "Which I suppose I am, but still. I never expected her to find out this way. Or find out at all."

"You are not a monster," Emma said strongly. "Don't you dare go back to thinking that you are. We've come too far for that."

Regina smiled sadly. "No matter what you say or do, I will always have a part of a monster inside of me. It's who I am."

"And whenever you believe that, you're feeding it," Emma said. "Stop believing that you're a bad person."

Regina sighed. "But I am a bad person."

"In the past," Emma argued. "Now you're one of the best heroes I know. You've been through so much and yet you've raised an amazing son and two amazing daughters. Although the one is on my shit list right now."

Regina laughed. "She didn't mean any harm. She was just in shock."

"I don't care," Emma said. "She said those things and disobeyed our rule to never go into the vault and look what happened. You're doubting yourself again."

"I suppose you're right," Regina said. "But it's not like it really matters. What's done is done."

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to have a talk with her later," Emma said, holding out a hand and pulling Regina to her feet. "Now come on. Let's go home so I can kill our daughter."


	274. Day 274: Circus

"Hey, I have a great idea for what we can do this weekend," Henry said at breakfast.

"What's that?" Emma asked. Henry always had the best ideas, mainly because he looked forward to the trips out of town.

Ever since things had calmed down for awhile after the whole Underworld fiasco, Emma, Regina, and Henry took a trip once a month out of town for a whole weekend. It allowed them time alone as a family, as well as time away from the town and the craziness of magic and fairytales.

"There's a circus that's going to be in New York City," Henry said excitedly. "We haven't been there in awhile, and I've never been to a circus before. I've heard that they're fun though. At least from books that I've read."

"A circus?" Regina asked. "Of all things to pick, that's what you want to do? I'm sure there are other things in the city that we could attend."

"What's wrong with the circus?" Henry asked. "Violet's been to a few and she said the royalty loves them."

Regina winced. "Not all royalty does." And with that, she picked up her plate and headed to the kitchen.

Henry looked at Emma in confusion. "What's wrong with circuses? Violet said that it's common for royalty to attend them for entertainment."

"And I'm sure they do," Emma said. "But keep in mind that your mom wasn't a royal by choice. Plus, the Enchanted Forest is different than Camelot."

"Not that different," Henry said.

"Regardless of how similar or not they are, your mom doesn't want to go," Emma said. "It doesn't matter why, she just doesn't. I'm going to go talk to her, but in the meantime, think of something else to do."

"Fine," Henry mumbled. It wasn't that he couldn't find something else to do, he just didn't really want to. The circus sounded cool.

Emma smiled before getting up and walking into the kitchen. Regina was standing by the window, looking at her garden outside. Her dirty dishes on the counter were completely forgotten, something that never happened.

"You okay?" Emma asked, putting her and Regina's dishes into the dishwasher.

Regina jumped at the sound of Emma's voice. She hadn't even noticed her walking into the room. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Emma pressed. "You looked like you're staring out into the garden without really seeing it."

Regina smiled sadly as she continued looking outside. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, I was allowed a small garden when I was queen. Anytime that I felt lonely, or angry, or any negative emotion, I would look out at my garden and just admire the beauty of it. The simplicity of the beauty of plants is captivating."

"What emotion are you feeling that you're staring at the garden?" Emma asked, walking over and standing next to her. She had to agree with Regina, the garden was beautiful.

"Guilt mostly," Regina said. "I would like to always make Henry happy, but sometimes that is not possible."

"Does this have something to do with the circus?" Emma asked.

Regina tensed. "Yes."

Emma shrugged. "I told him to pick something else. It's not that big of a deal. We don't have to do anything that you don't feel comfortable doing."

"I know," Regina said. "But I can tell that this is something that he really wants to do."

They stood in silence for a while before Regina spoke again. "When Henry was little there were several circuses who were around the area. I wanted to take him to one, but never found the courage to. I guess he's never lost his desire to see one."

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to," Emma said. "But what's wrong with circuses? Why don't you like them?"

Regina sighed. "Have you ever read the stories in which the jester is killed because he didn't make the king laugh?"

Emma winced. She didn't like where this was going. "I've read a few."

"That's what circuses were like in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said. "If the royalty wasn't entertained the whole time, the person doing their act was killed."

"Did anyone ever get killed because of you?" Emma asked.

Regina closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. "Only once. It was the very first one that I attended as queen, and I was still bitter and hurt. I wasn't in the mood to be entertained. The clown was young, most likely doing his first show, and I zoned out during his act. Next thing I know, he's dead."

"And you've never liked a circus ever since," Emma said.

"I attended them with the king until his death," Regina said. "After he died, I banned them from the kingdom so that no one would ever be hurt again. But I still can't get the image out of my head of that young boy who died because of me."

"That's a lot of pressure to put on the royals," Emma argued. "You couldn't have possibly known he would be killed for it."

"Of course I knew," Regina said. "Everyone knew. I just didn't care."

Emma sighed. "I know that you don't want to go to the one in New York, but maybe we should. Circuses aren't like that. They're funny, and the acts are crazy. It's fun."

Regina bit her lip uncertainly. "And no one dies?"

"Nope," Emma said. "No deaths in this circus."

Several beats passed before Regina nodded. "Okay. We can go."

* * *

Regina fidgeted in her seat as the circus show started. "Relax," Emma whispered, taking her hand. "You'll enjoy it. Trust me."

Regina nodded and sat back in her chair. If there was one thing she did without a second thought, it was trust Emma Swan.

For the next hour, Regina couldn't stop smiling. Or take her eyes away from the show. Emma was right; this was nothing like the circuses in the Enchanted Forest. Everyone was happy, and there was no threat of death. Just talented performers showing off their skills to a captivated audience.

"Told you," Emma said, nudging her gently.

Regina smiled. "We'll add this to the tally of things that you were right on."

"Yes!" Emma said, throwing up her fist into the air in victory. "I think that takes me up to a total of five!"

Regina just rolled her eyes and laughed.

 **Prompts anyone?**


	275. Day 275: Royal Birthday

**Happy birthday to the one and only Evil Queen!**

Regina hated her birthday. When she was younger she had looked forward to the day as the one time that her mother was actually kind to her, but that eventually even went away. The only time that her mother had been kind to her on her birthday as an adult was after she had become the Evil Queen.

Regina winced as she thought about the last birthday that she had spent in the Enchanted Forest. She had been the Evil Queen then, and had stuck the miniature version of her father in one of her heart boxes. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of memories to have from her birthday.

Since coming to Storybrooke, Regina hadn't celebrated her birthday once. No one knew when it was since the curse had broken, even though they remembered everything else. Even Snow had to admit that she had no idea when Regina's birthday was. Which she reluctantly had to tell Emma when she came looking for answers.

"You lived with her for most of your life and you never celebrated her birthday?" Emma asked.

Snow looked down at her feet guiltily. "I never really asked. She never wanted to talk to me at all, so I never bothered her unless it was important."

"And asking her about her birthday isn't important?" Emma asked. "It's a day to be celebrated!"

"I know, I know," Snow said. "She just scared me so I left her alone."

Emma shook her head. "Do you have any idea when it might be? Is there a day that she was more reserved than others?"

"She was always reserved," Snow said. "She hated me."

"Is there anyone who would know?" Emma asked. "Someone has to know when Regina's birthday is."

"Henry?" Snow suggested. "She is his son after all."

"She never tells him anything," Emma said dismissively. "There has to be someone who knows when Regina was born. Someone has to know her birthday."

"Archie," Henry said, walking into the room. "If anyone knows anything about Mom, is has to be him. He knows everything about everyone."

Emma smiled. "Let's go visit a cricket."

* * *

"I know when it is," Archie said. "But I can't tell you. Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"Archie, please," Emma begged. "I want to know so that we can actually celebrate it. Wouldn't it be good for her if we celebrated something like that? Maybe she doesn't like this day for a reason."

Archie sighed. "Fine. But you didn't hear it from me. Her birthday is February 1st."

"That's a week from today," Henry said. "Enough time for us to get something ready."

"I wouldn't do that," Archie said. "I can't tell you why she doesn't like this day because that's her story to tell. But I can tell you that you might want to take it easy. She hasn't celebrated this day for a reason."

Emma and Henry shared a glance. "Let's do this," Emma said.

Henry smiled. "Operation Royal Birthday is a go."

* * *

A week later, Emma and Henry had the perfect plan. The only problem, and this was Emma's problem to deal with, was getting Regina to actually go along with it. Which wasn't going to be easy.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, walking into the living room. "You two are too quiet."

"Ma has something to talk about with you," Henry said, getting up and leaving the room. "Happy Birthday!"

"What?" Regina asked, whipping around as he bolted out of the room. She turned back to Emma. "How does he know that? I've never told anyone about my birthday."

"Surprise," Emma said, smiling. "And Happy Birthday."

Regina sighed and sat down next to Emma. "How did you even find out?"

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Emma asked. "Or were you just going to keep it a secret from me forever."

"Maybe not forever," Regina said. "I'm sure you would have found out eventually."

"Well I found out now," Emma said. "So, we're going to celebrate. Don't worry it won't be anything big. Just me, you, and Henry spending the day together to celebrate the day that you were born."

"The last time that my family spent my birthday together, my father ended up in a heart box," Regina said. "I'd rather not celebrate."

"Come on," Emma pleaded. "Regina, without your birthday you wouldn't have ever been alive. Your birthday is nothing but a symbol for the fact that it's been another amazing year alive. Don't you want to celebrate that?"

Regina sighed. "You promise that it will be something small?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "Promise."

"Fine," Regina said. "We can celebrate my birthday. Don't make me regret this."

* * *

Emma cooked dinner with all of Regina's favorite foods, including a birthday cake. After dinner and cake, they all climbed under the fort made by Henry (like old times) and watched several movies. At the end of the day, Regina had to admit that celebrating her birthday had been a success.

"Well?" Emma asked. "What did you think?"

"I think," Regina said. "That I would like to celebrate my birthday every year from now on."

Emma smiled and leaned over to kiss her. Henry rolled his eyes before smiling. "Operation Royal Birthday was a success."

Regina rolled her eyes affectionately and sighed. "Of course you created an operation for this."

Henry hugged her tightly. "Anything for you."


	276. Day 276: Trust Me Part 1

It was around midnight when the call came in. Emma was working the night shift, and had expected a pretty uneventful evening. After all, who would want to cause trouble this late?

Turns out she was wrong. A panicked janitor called and said that the City Hall building was on fire, and Emma panicked. Since Emma was working late, so was Regina. Regina worked in City Hall.

Emma poofed herself to the outside of City Hall and gasped. Huge flames were eating away at the building, causing large clouds of black smoke to float up into the sky.

Emma frantically looked around, but couldn't see any sign of Regina. "Emma!" Archie called, jogging over to her. "No one knows how the fire got started, but it's eating away at the building too fast for the fire department."

"Is there anyone left inside?" Emma asked.

Archie shrugged. "No one knows. Not a lot of people work this late."

Emma groaned and looked around helplessly. Where was Regina? Suddenly, the smell of apples hit her nose and she turned quickly to where the scent was coming from. There stood Regina, supporting the form of one of the secretaries.

"Regina!" Emma called, running over to her.

Regina glanced at her and slightly smiled. "Before you ask, I'm fine." She guided the secretary over to the waiting ambulance and handed her off before walking back towards the building.

Emma followed after her and grabbed her hand. "Where are you going?"

"Back inside," Regina said, turning to face her. "There are more people in there, Emma. I can only poof one at a time back out with me."

"Then I'll go with you," Emma said.

Regina shook her head. "You would be better help out here. I poof out with them, you take them from me to the ambulance so I can go back inside. Things will go faster and more people will get out."

Emma was about to argue when the top floor of the building caved in, getting screams from those outside. "There wasn't anyone on the top floor," Regina said. "But I have to go before the whole building goes."

Emma turned to protest, but she was already gone.

* * *

Throughout the next 10 minutes, Emma and Regina worked together to get everyone out of the building. They thought that they were done, until they were informed that there was someone in the basement.

"Who goes in the basement?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "There are records down there. If someone was doing research, that would be why they were down there. Regardless, I have to go."

"No," Emma said, grabbing her arm. "You've saved enough people tonight, and I know that using this much magic has exhausted you. Please."

"Emma," Regina said gently. "I have to do this. It's one more person who get's saved. That person has a family that would miss them. I need to go."

"The building isn't stable," Emma said. "This fire is too big, and has been going on for too long. The whole thing could collapse."

"Do you trust me?" Regina asked.

Emma bit her lip. "Well yes, but-"

"But nothing," Regina said. "Trust me. I can do this." She kissed Emma quickly before poofing back into the burning building.

Emma looked up at the sky and groaned. Why had she been cursed with loving the most stubborn woman on the planet? She sighed and began to walk towards the ambulance to check on everyone when the building exploded.

As the sky filled with black smoke ad orange fire, Emma screamed Regina's name.

* * *

The first thing Regina heard as she woke up was the sound of a heartbeat monitor. The second thing she heard was the sound of steady breathing to her right. She glanced over and saw Emma fast asleep in the chair next to her bed.

Regina frowned as she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered poofing into the basement and grabbing the hand of the worker down there, and then everything had gone black.

Emma stirred in her sleep, slowly opening her eyes and looking in confusion at the room she was in. When her eyes caught Regina's, she bolted upright.

"I'm fine," Regina tried to say, but found that her voice wasn't working. Her throat was too dry.

Emma anxiously reached over and grabbed the water on Regina's bedside table, putting the straw into Regina's mouth. Regina drank slowly, not wanting to upset her stomach.

"Better?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "Much, thank you."

Emma sat back down in her chair, sighing as she looked at Regina. She hadn't suffered very many injuries thank goodness, just a few burns and lots of smoke in her lungs. When the building had fallen, nothing had landed on Regina or the woman she had been saving. But they had been trapped, and passed out from smoke inhalation.

"What am I going to do with you?" Emma asked. "You could have died!"

"But I didn't," Regina said. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a little beaten up, that's all. It was worth it. Did you see how many people got out?"

"That's not the point," Emma said, leaning forward anxiously. "If you had been on a different floor, that building would have crushed you and burned you alive. You. Could. Have. Died."

Regina glanced at Emma's hands and saw the white sparks starting to gather on the tips of her fingers. "Emma. Calm down."

"You could have died," Emma whispered, dropping her head into her hands. "I could have lost you. To something as basic as a fire."

Regina sat up, pleased when she found that it didn't cause any pain. She reached over and grabbed Emma's hands, causing Emma to look up at her. "I had to save people because the fire was my fault."

"What?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "I was working, and then I heard shouting. I went to the window and there was a small group outside. Once they saw me they started cheering and then threw their flaming sticks towards me. They crashed through the window and then everything started on fire. They were trying to kill _me_ , Emma. I had to get everyone out of there."

"The fire was started on purpose?" Emma asked.

"Yes," Regina said softly. "The fire was intended to kill me."

"I need to go talk to David," Emma said, standing up.

"Emma, don't do anything rash," Regina said.

"Someone tried to kill you," Emma said. "And they're going to pay."

 **See you tomorrow!**


	277. Day 277: Trust Me Part 2

Regina was released from the hospital only a couple days after the fire, and was working from home. There may not be a building to work from, but the city wasn't going to stop just for a burnt building.

As the weeks went on, Emma became more and more obsessed with finding whoever had started the fire and tried to kill Regina. She hardly ever left the station, working tirelessly on the evidence from the fire.

Regina walked into the station and sighed at seeing Emma in her usual spot. She was pacing around the table she had set up, moving pictures around and adding notes to her already pretty full notebook.

"You need to stop this," Regina said, walking over to her. "Before I set it all on fire and you have nothing left."

Emma's eyes widened. "Don't do that! I think that I'm actually on to something that could lead to whoever set that fire."

"You've said that every time that I've come in here to check on you," Regina said, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her towards the door. "We are going home, and you're getting some decent sleep without worrying over something that was probably just a prank."

"They didn't throw the sticks until after they saw you were there," Emma argued, pulling against Regina's grip. "They want to kill you, and I can't let that happen."

Regina sighed. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"No," Emma said. "Not until I find whoever did this. There has to be something at the actual crime scene that could help us."

"No one is allowed near that building," Regina said. "Workers are trying to get everything cleaned up so that a new building can be built."

"You're the mayor," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure that they would let you in. Just say that you're checking in on how everything is going."

"Fine," Regina said. "But don't touch anything."

* * *

The workers looked in surprise as Regina and Emma poofed to the fire sight. Emma couldn't help but gasp at the remains of the building. Whoever those fire-starters were, they sure had been successful.

"Madame Mayor," the head construction worker greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just checking in on how the cleaning was going," Regina said, looking around the area. She walked away from Emma, motioning with her hand for Emma to do a little exploring. "It doesn't look like you've gotten very far."

"There's a lot of debris," the worker said apologetically. "We're trying to clean it all up, but there's way too many layers for us to keep up with."

Emma didn't listen to the rest, and started exploring the area. The workers were all watching their boss as he walked around the area with Regina, not even noticing the blonde sheriff examining every inch of the space.

Emma groaned in frustration. Everything was burnt to a crisp. How was she supposed to find any evidence?

Finally, something caught her eye. It was a stick, thrown into the dirt and then stomped on. As if someone was trying to put out the fire that had been on it.

"Well, thank you for your time," Regina said, slightly louder than what was necessary. Emma took that as her cue to get moving, and grabbed the stick before running back to where she had been before.

"Sheriff Swan," the worker said in surprise.

Emma smiled and nodded at him. "Thought I heard a noise coming from the woods. Must have just been the breeze."

Regina grabbed Emma's hand and poofed them away before he could ask any more questions.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" Emma demanded. "We need to be at the station."

"It is almost 9," Regina said. "I think you can take a break and actually get some sleep tonight."

"I need to run a fingertip analysis on this," Emma said, pulling the stick out of her jacket.

"Why are you touching it?" Regina asked. "Now your fingerprints are on it too."

Emma shrugged. "I can get rid of them with magic. It's fine. But the point is that I found something that could lead us directly to our fire-starters, and I need to do it. Now."

Regina flicked her wrist, poofing the stick to an unknown destination. Or unknown to Emma anyway.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. "Bring that back. I need it for evidence."

"And I'll bring it back," Regina said. "When it's morning and you've actually slept in our bed. I know that you want to find whoever did this. But this isn't the way to do it."

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "How do we don't know that whoever set City Hall on fire isn't going to strike again?" Her eyes suddenly widened. "What if they come here?"

Regina reached out for her. "Emma-"

"They could come here," Emma said, panic starting to set in. "You could be home. Henry could be home. They could set the whole thing on fire! With you and Henry in it. I would lose both of you."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's face, gently forcing Emma's eyes to meet her own. "Nothing is going to happen to Henry and I. No one is going to burn down the house with us in it. I would most definitely poof Henry and I out as fast as possible and to safety. You need to take a deep breath and relax."

"I just want to find them," Emma whimpered.

"I know," Regina said. "I do too."

* * *

The next morning, Regina and Emma walked together into the station. Emma had finally agreed to sleep at home for the night, and actually felt refreshed enough to take care of things.

"You know, there's an easier way to do this," Regina said. "I could just put a locator spell on the stick and see where it takes us."

Emma stopped in her tracks. "You couldn't have suggested that last night?"

"If I had, would you have actually gone to sleep?" Regina countered.

Emma sighed. "No."

Regina smiled. "Exactly. Never underestimate my ability to know you well."

Emma held out the stick for Regina to take. "Care to do the honors? I get too worked up every time I look at it, so my magic would probably be all out of whack."

Regina took the stick gently from her and waved her hand over it. The fingerprints on it glowed purple before the stick started to float out of the station. Emma and Regina glanced at each other before running after it.

They eventually arrived at a house in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town. It was small, but homely. Inside was a group of men playing cards at the kitchen table. A woman walked into the room and set some snacks down before making a hasty exit.

"Is this the right place?" Regina asked. "They don't look very dangerous to me."

"Doesn't mean they aren't," Emma said. "Looks can be deceiving, trust me."

Regina smiled. "I do."

Emma smiled back at her before suddenly growing sober. "Come on. Let's go meet our fire-starters."

They walked together up to the door and Emma pounded on it. Regina reached out and squeezed her arm gently, taking a dramatic breath. Emma smiled sheepishly and breathed the same, calming down her anger.

The door swung open to reveal the woman who had dropped off the snacks earlier. Her eyes widened. After all, it wasn't everyday the mayor and sheriff came to visit.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"We were hoping maybe your husband and his friends could explain this," Emma said, holding up the stick. "As well as why they wanted to set City Hall on fire."

"What's going on?" one of the men asked, walking out from the dining room. Upon seeing Emma and Regina, his eyes widened and he bolted.

Emma rolled her eyes and poofed herself directly into his path. "What are you doing? Running won't really solve anything."

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"Save it," Emma said, pulling out handcuffs and spinning him around. "You and your buddies will have plenty of time to talk later."

* * *

Emma looked triumphantly at the group of men sitting in the cell. They all glared at home another, blaming each other for being caught. Clearly they didn't understand the concept of magic.

"What are you going to do with them?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "Put them in a burning building and see how they like it."

"Emma!' Regina scolded, hitting her gently.

Emma laughed. "I'm kidding. Although I do want to know why they did it."

"I know why," Regina said softly. "I recognize their ringleader. His village was one that I burned to the ground on my quest to ruin Snow's life. Everything comes full circle."

"Doesn't mean he had to try and kill you," Emma mumbled.

Regina chuckled. "Come on. Let's go get some lunch. We can even discuss what to do with those idiots."

Emma smiled and intertwined their fingers. "Sounds like a plan."


	278. Day 278: Pregnancy Memories

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Can you do one with Emma telling to her pregnant wife some of her memories while been pregnant with Henry?"**

 **I can and I will! Also, sorry for not updating yesterday. I had a friend in town and wanted to spend the day with her!**

"Will you stop that?" Emma asked, walking over and blocking Regina's view of the mirror. "If you keep looking at this I'm going to confiscate it."

"I can't help it," Regina said. "I look like a human whale."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You do not. I've already told you many times that you look beautiful no matter what size you are. Stop looking in the mirror when you could just ask me."

"Your opinion is biased," Regina said.

"And?" Emma asked.

"You're telling me that when you were pregnant with Henry you never had moments like these?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "There weren't any mirrors in jail."

"So you had no insecurities?" Regina pressed.

"Not really," Emma said. "I wasn't really concerned about the pregnancy at all. I was in a cell by myself and kept myself occupied."

"And you never once thought about how you looked?" Regina asked, sitting down on their bed. "It never occurred to you that you were huge and looked like you had swallowed a basketball?"

"I was in jail," Emma said, sitting down next to her. "My looks didn't really matter."

"So what was your pregnancy with Henry like then?" Regina asked. "Tell me some things about it. You seemed to know quite a bit about pregnancy when we found out I was pregnant."

"There's not much to tell," Emma said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Come on," Regina said, nudging Emma gently. "What was it like to be pregnant with Henry? Did people take it easier on you since you were pregnant?"

"Why do we need to talk about this?" Emma asked, suddenly getting up from the bed. "That stuff is in the past and I don't want to talk about it."

Before Regina could say anything else, Emma left the room. Regina looked after her in confusion. What was so wrong with asking about her pregnancy?

* * *

"Emma?" Regina called gently as she walked into the kitchen. Emma was standing with her back to Regina, staring at the photo of her, Henry, and Regina standing with their arms wrapped around each other. It had been their first selfie.

"I was going to get an abortion," Emma whispered, not looking away from the photo. "I didn't want a child that would have Neal for a father."

Regina's eyes widened. "So why didn't you?"

"I couldn't do it," Emma said. "At the appointment that I was going to mention it, they let me hear his heartbeat for the very first time. And I couldn't bear to get rid of him."

"I'm glad you didn't," Regina said, coming up and wrapping her arms around Emma. Or as well as she could with the baby in the middle anyways.

"I was depressed for a long time," Emma said. "And very panicky. I didn't know what I was going to do with a baby, especially with where I was in my life. But I didn't want to put him up for adoption and just have him get placed into the system like I was."

"Did you have any happy moments in your entire pregnancy?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "When he kicked for the first time, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had no idea what it was, and thought that something was wrong. And then the nurse explained to me that he was just kicking. Like saying hi. That got me through a lot of days."

Regina chuckled. "What triggered his kicks?"

"My voice," Emma said. "It's like my voice lit a kind of passion in him and woke him up, ready to go. Anytime I would talk to him he would go nuts."

"That still happens," Regina said, laughing.

Emma laughed. "I guess. I'm just glad he ended up with you."

Regina hummed in agreement. "Did you ever think about changing your mind? Keeping him as your own instead of giving him up?"

"I went back and forth a lot," Emma said. "A part of me wanted to keep him and raise him as my own, but another part knew that I needed to let him go."

"Can I ask you a question without you judging me?" Regina asked.

"Always," Emma said, kissing Regina's cheek and turning in her arms to face her completely.

"What are your memories of labor?" Regina asked. "I haven't heard the greatest things about it."

Emma smiled gently. "You'll be fine."

"That's not answering my question," Regina said.

Emma sighed. "It's not...pleasant. At all. But I was also doing it alone. It's a lot better when you have people there to support you."

Regina groaned. "Great."

Emma laughed. "Don't worry about it. I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Was anyone there for you at all?" Regina asked. "Throughout your pregnancy I mean."

Emma shook her head. "No one cared. I was a woman who had stolen precious items and was on the run. They didn't know about Neal. As far as they were concerned, I should have thought of my baby before getting arrested."

"You did it all alone?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Emma said. She smiled sadly. "But at least he got a great mom in the process."

"I'm glad I don't have to do this alone," Regina said. "I would have gone crazy by now."

"Oh I know," Emma said chuckling. "I'm glad you don't have to do it alone either. But you have to promise me something."

"What's that?" Regina asked.

"No more looking into mirrors all the time," Emma scolded.

Regina just rolled her eyes and turned to leave the room. "Hey!" Emma called after her. "You better not be going upstairs again!"


	279. Day 279: Super Bowl

**I don't care about sports, but I figured this chapter would be required for this day. Happy Super Bowl to those of you who care!**

"What in the world is going on in here?" Regina asked, walking into the living room. There was food laid out all over the coffee table, and the furniture was rearranged to give Emma and Henry the best view of the TV.

"The Super Bowl is starting soon," Emma said. "You up for watching it with us?"

"The super what?" Regina asked.

"Super Bowl," Henry said, plopping down onto the couch. "You know, the big football game of the year that everyone watches?"

Regina just shrugged. "I wasn't born in this world. That means nothing to me."

Emma sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Come on," she said, patting the couch cushion next to her. "Let's get you educated."

Regina rolled her eyes and sat down. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to enjoy this at all, but she supposed she should indulge in Emma and Henry's source of happiness. Even if it had something to do with sports.

* * *

After a couple hours, Regina was bored out of her mind. It was basically people running back and forth with an oddly shaped ball, scoring points by running to one side of the field or the other.

"Well it's official," Regina said at halftime. "This is by far the stupidest thing I have ever watched. There's no purpose."

"It's a game," Henry protested. "The purpose is to score the most points and then win. Whoever wins gets the title of the best football team of the season. It's a big deal."

"Perhaps to those who enjoy the sport," Regina said. "I, however, am not one of them."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Shush. Don't ruin the spirit of the day."

Regina rolled her eyes, but obediently stayed quiet and let Emma and Henry continue to enjoy the game.

"Didn't they have anything like this in the Enchanted Forest?" Henry asked.

Regina shrugged. "I was never allowed to leave the grounds of my parents' house. And when I was queen, I wasn't allowed to leave the castle until the king died."

"So you never went to watch anything like this?" Henry asked.

Regina shook her head. "Even if it was available, I'm not sure I would have gone. Sports aren't really something I am interested in. I appreciate the arts more."

"Like what?" Henry asked. "Going to art shows?"

"No," Regina said. "Music mostly. There are things you can say through music that you can't through words."

"Sports do the same thing," Henry said.

"Oh really?" Regina asked. "What are they saying? I'm going to tackle you now, watch out?"

Emma burst out laughing as Henry pouted. "Come on," Emma said, reaching over and poking Henry. "You know that was a good one."

"Yeah whatever," Henry said. "You just don't appreciate sports."

"Tell you what," Regina said. "I won't complain for the rest of the game if you agree to go to a symphony orchestra concert with me."

"You won't be able to make it through the rest of the game," Henry said.

"Then you won't have to go to the concert," Regina said. She stuck out her hand and raised an eyebrow as a challenge. "Deal?"

Henry smiled smugly and took her hand. "Deal."

* * *

Henry fiddled with his tie. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

"Should have thought of that before you agreed," Emma teased, slapping his hand gently. "Leave your tie alone."

"I can't believe she actually stayed quiet for the rest of the game," Henry said.

Emma laughed. "Never underestimate the stubbornness of Regina Mills."


	280. Day 280: Always Will Be

Regina looked in confusion at the front door as the doorbell rang. Henry was upstairs doing homework, and Emma was at the station. Who in the world would be at the door?

She peeked through the peephole to see who was on the other side, and grew even more confused upon seeing a woman standing there. Regina didn't recognize her, so maybe she was just lost and looking for directions?

The doorbell rang again, so Regina opened the door. "May I help you?"

"You can," the woman said, walking towards Regina and pushing her way into the house. The woman reached behind her and closed the door to the house, continuing to walk towards Regina. Regina backed up farther and farther until her back hit a wall. She was cornered.

"What do you want?" Regina asked, her eyes wide. She felt her magic boiling inside of her, begging to be used to protect herself. But she wouldn't.

"Do you remember killing my fiancé?" the woman asked, staring at Regina with fury in her eyes. "We were just about to be married when you came in your carriage and told us that we were marrying on royal grounds. You crushed his heart right in front of all of us."

Regina gasped. "I remember you."

The woman smiled. "I'm so glad. I was afraid that I was going to have to do this without you knowing why you had to pay."

"Do what?" Regina asked.

"You'll see," the woman said. "I suppose I should introduce myself first. My name is Ada. Pleased to meet you."

"I wish I could say the same," Regina said drily. "Why are you procrastinating? Just kill me and be done with it."

"Who said I was going to kill you?" Ada asked. "I lost my True Love that day. It's only fitting that you lose yours in return."

"No," Regina gasped. "Leave Emma alone. She didn't do anything to deserve this."

"Neither did Byron!" Ada exclaimed, glaring at Regina with hatred. "He didn't do anything wrong, and you killed him because someone made you angry."

"I was a monster back then," Regina said. "I know all of the mistakes that I made, and I regret every single person that I killed. But I've moved past that. Can't you?"

"No," Ada said. "I can't."

The front door opened and closed, indicating that Emma had finally come home from work. "Right on time," Ada said. "I had to watch my fiancé get his heart ripped out right in front of me. Unfortunately, I don't have the magic you do. So I'll just have to make do."

"Regina?" Emma called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Regina called back, cursing the slight shake in her voice. Emma would detect it immediately.

"You don't sound fine," Emma said skeptically, walking towards Regina. Just as she came into view, Ada pounced and tackled Emma to the ground. She wrapped her arms around Emma's throat, squeezing tightly in hopes of knocking her out.

"Stop it!" Regina begged, the magic in her getting stronger. She forced it down and ran over, trying to pull Ada off of Emma. Emma was doing her best to kick Ada off, but she was hanging on for dear life.

Regina pulled harder and harder on Ada, but nothing happened. Ada was grounded, putting all her weight onto holding Emma down and choking her.

"I'm sorry," Regina said. She let her magic go, sending a shock through Ada and knocking her out. Her grip on Emma's neck loosened, allowing her to breathe. Regina pushed Ada away before poofing her to a cell in the station.

Emma gasped and coughed as air returned to her lungs. "That...was...scary," she gasped out.

Regina quickly dropped to Emma's side. "I'm so sorry. She attacked you because I killed her fiancé back on their wedding day. Something about killing my True Love because I killed hers."

"You had to kill her fiancé," Emma teased gently, rubbing her neck.

Regina winced. "I know, I'm an awful person."

"Hey," Emma said. "I was joking. I'm fine, really. I'll probably have some finger-shaped bruises to explain, but other than that I'm fine."

Regina reached out and lightly touched Emma's neck. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yes," Emma said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it lightly. "I promise. I'm just glad that Henry wasn't down here for this."

"So am I," Regina said. Several beats passed before she spoke again. "You didn't pass out, did you? If you did we should probably take you to see Whale and make sure everything is fine."

"Regina," Emma said gently, standing up and pulling Regina with her. "I didn't pass out, and I'm fine. Stop worrying about it."

"She could have killed you," Regina said, following after Emma as she led them upstairs.

"But she didn't," Emma pointed out. "Now come on, let's go tell our son to put away the books for the night and get some sleep."

* * *

Regina couldn't sleep. She kept glancing over at Emma, making sure that she was still breathing. She knew what choking felt like, both thanks to her mother and Mr. Hyde. It wasn't pleasant.

Emma stirred in her sleep before sighing in content and going back to sleep. The incident must not have scared her enough to cause nightmares.

Regina shook her head and pinched her arm as she felt her eyelids begin to droop. She had to stay awake and make sure that Emma kept breathing.

After several minutes, Regina's eyelids fell closed and she fell into an exhausted sleep. Even the most stubborn of queens needed their sleep.

* * *

 _Regina looked around in confusion. Why was she downstairs? She had just fallen asleep next to Emma upstairs. Shrugging, Regina left the living room and went to go back upstairs. But as she entered the hall, she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped._

 _Emma was lying in the middle of the floor, her eyes wide open and unseeing. Her mouth was slightly open, and her muscles were completely loose. But worst of all were the finger marks around her throat, which were turning a dark shade of purple and black._

" _I'm so sorry," Regina sobbed. "I didn't make it in time to save you. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." She collapsed onto Emma's body in a crying heap._

 _And then she heard Emma's voice, calling her name. How was that possible? She was dead!_

 _But there was no mistaking Emma's voice. It was there, and it was loud. Regina wondered for a moment if she was going crazy, and was going to hear Emma's voice in her head for the rest of her life._

 _But if that was the case, why was the voice telling her to wake up? Was this a dream? It couldn't be! Everything was so real!_

 _Regina reached out and delicately stroked Emma's face, and then suddenly the moment was gone._

* * *

Regina sat up with a gasp and immediately started shaking. Emma was wide-awake beside her, woken up by her tossing and crying. Those two together usually meant a nightmare. And a bad one.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked tentatively, reaching out to rub her hand up and down Regina's back.

Regina looked at her in surprise. "You're okay. No one choked you to death."

"No," Emma said. "No one killed me. You stopped her before she could."

"I did," Regina mumbled. "Are you sure?"

"Here," Emma said, reaching out and grabbing Regina's hand. She moved their hands to her chest, and let Regina feel her heart beating. "See? I'm still alive and breathing."

Regina nodded and focused on the feeling of Emma's heart under her palm. Emma slowly eased herself backwards, pulling Regina with her until they were both lying down, Regina's head on Emma's chest.

Regina relaxed as she felt the rise and fall of Emma's chest. As long as she was breathing she was alive. Comfort began to seep into Regina's bones, making her slowly drift to sleep…

"No!" Regina gasped, sitting up. "I can't go to sleep again."

Emma sat up and wrapped her arms around Regina. "You can."

Regina shook her head. "Every time I shut my eyes all I can see is Ada on top of you, slowly choking the life out of you. And I can't stop her, and you die. Right in front of me. Or you're already dead by the time that I get to you."

Emma hugged Regina tighter, making her feel safe. "Gina-"

"Why did I have to be such a monster?" Regina interrupted. "None of this would have happened if I would have just let them get married and be happy. I was so cruel and now look what I've done."

"Look at me," Emma commanded gently, forcing Regina's eyes to meet her own. "You need to calm down. Your heart is beating way too fast and I don't like it. Calm down."

Regina focused on her breathing and slowed down her heart. Emma smiled at her before lying down and opening her arms up to Regina. "Come here."

Regina shook her head. "I'm just going to get comfortable and fall asleep."

"Do you ever have nightmares when you're in my arms?" Emma challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Regina mumbled.

"Then come here," Emma commanded gently, grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her down. Regina rested her head on Emma's chest again, focusing on the sound of Emma's heartbeat and breathing.

"Stop fighting it," Emma said as she watched Regina force her eyes open. "Go to sleep. I'm right here. Always will be."

Regina smiled at those last three words and fell asleep, sleeping soundly through the rest of the night.


	281. Day 281: Refined

Emma swore that Regina didn't own one set of comfortable clothes. She had only seen her girlfriend wearing anything dressy, even around the house. So she decided to question it.

"Do you own a pair of sweatpants?" Emma asked.

Regina jumped at the sound of Emma's voice. She was in the middle of reading, and hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings at all.

"I don't believe so," Regina said. "Why would I need a pair? I have plenty of clothes already."

"But nothing comfortable," Emma argued.

"Who said my clothes aren't comfortable?" Regina asked. "I find them quite suitable in the comfort department."

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "And do you ever stop talking like you're a queen?"

"No," Regina said. "You seem to have forgotten that I spent most of my life being trained by my mother to be the perfect queen. That included talking and clothing."

"No one will think anything of it if you start talking differently," Emma said. "Or start wearing comfier clothes around the house."

"On the contrary," Regina said. "Most people in this town would find that bizarre and completely out of character. It would draw unwanted attention to myself."

Emma sighed. "But-"

"Besides," Regina interrupted. "I tried sweatpants once and they weren't very flattering. I enjoy clothes that have style, not make me look that I'm wearing a flour sack."

"They're not supposed to be flattering, they're supposed to be comfortable," Emma said. "At least give them another try."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine. But if I don't like them, you're going to let this drop."

* * *

"Will you come out already?" Emma asked.

"I look ridiculous," Regina said. "And was that a lesbian quip?"

Emma laughed. "No, it wasn't. Now come out of the bathroom before I poof you out here myself."

Regina sighed before opening the door and stepping out. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Emma expectantly. "Happy now?"

Emma nodded and let her eyes wander up and down Regina's form. It was true, the sweatpants and t-shirt didn't accentuate Regina's curves like the rest of her outfits did. But she still looked amazing.

"Very happy," Emma said. "Because you look gorgeous."

Regina rolled her eyes. "May I go change now? Into my regular clothes?"

"Again with the queen talk," Emma teased. "Why do you keep doing that? I can see you processing the words in your head before you say them. As if you're double checking to make sure they sound proper enough."

"I am a queen," Regina said. "I'm more refined than what you would consider 'normal' language."

"I'm not your mother," Emma said. "I love seeing you in casual clothes, and I'm not going to scold you if you say a sentence without correct grammar. I'm not a queen."

"No, you're a princess," Regina teased.

Emma glared at Regina. "Not funny."

Regina laughed. "My apologies. But your reaction was very much worth saying it."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just for that, you have to stay in sweatpants for the rest of the day."

"You can't make me," Regina said.

"Is that a challenge?" Emma asked. "Because if so, I accept. Very willingly."

"Or," Regina said slyly. "I could just take them off."

Emma smiled at Regina's idea. "You win," she said, pulling Regina to her and kissing her. "I like your idea much better than mine."

Regina laughed before kissing her. "That's what I thought."

 **Where did my reviewers go? :(**


	282. Day 282: Antidote

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Someone has poisoned Regina and cannot be healed by Emma's magic and the doctors don't know what's wrong with Regina, only that she hasn't a lot of time. So Emma runs against time to save Regina's life, trying to find the person who is responsible, so he/she will give her the antidote."**

"Regina?" Emma called, walking into the mansion. She had gotten a concerned phone call from a neighbor of Regina's that someone had broken into the house and a fight had broken out. Emma hadn't even gotten in her car, she had just poofed immediately.

Even though it had been years since Regina had done anything evil, someone always seemed to be out to get her for their own personal revenge. It was starting to get on Emma's nerves, and concern her.

Emma walked through the mansion, finally arriving at the kitchen. She heard groaning coming from the floor, and quickly drew her gun. Whoever the attacker was could be on the floor. Rounding the corner, Emma gasped and put away her gun before dropping to Regina's side.

"Regina, can you hear me?" Emma asked, running her fingers through Regina's hair lightly.

"Yes," Regina said weakly.

"What happened?" Emma asked. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't remember," Regina said. "My head is all fuzzy. It's becoming hard to talk."

Emma re-positioned herself and scooped Regina into her arms before poofing them both to the hospital. Whale had to know what was going on.

* * *

"We don't know what's happening," Whale said. "Every test that we've done has come back negative, and her symptoms are unlike anything we've ever seen."

"Is there anything you do know for sure?" Emma snapped.

Whale looked down at the floor. "She doesn't have a lot of time. That's all we know. We've given her some painkillers for the pain of what she's going through, but whatever this is was meant to be slow and painful."

"Can I see her?" Emma asked.

Whale sighed before nodding. "I know that there's no way that I can stop you."

Emma just smiled at him before heading down the hallway towards Regina's room. Whale was right; there was no way that he would have been able to stop her.

She opened the door to Regina's room, and was met with the wide-awake eyes of the former queen. "Hey," Emma said softly, sitting on the edge of Regina's bed. "How're you feeling?"

"As good as I can," Regina said, wincing at the movement that speaking caused. It broke Emma's heart that she was in this much pain.

"Before you ask, no, your magic won't work," Regina said. "I already tried healing myself and it did absolutely nothing. Don't waste your energy."

"Then I need to find whoever did this to you and get the antidote to whatever you have," Emma said strongly. "Did you see the person's face at all?"

"It was too dark for that," Regina said. "But I do remember being able to see a flash of light blue. And then the attacker was gone."

"Blue," Emma said thoughtfully. "There's really only one person in this town who wears a lot of blue."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't get into too much trouble, okay? I expect you to come home in one piece."

"Don't worry," Emma said. "I'll be careful."

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me," Emma said, walking into the clearing in the forest. She had chosen this spot because of its seclusion. No one would be able to see or hear what was about to go on.

"You're welcome," Belle said. "Although I am curious as to why you brought me out here."

"You've heard that Regina is in the hospital, correct?" Emma asked, beginning to walk in a circle around the clearing.

Belle nodded. "The whole town knows. And I'm sad to hear that she's suffering."

"Sure you are," Emma said. "You know, I was questioning Regina on what happened, and she doesn't really remember much. But what she does remember is seeing a flash of light blue before her attacker disappeared."

Belle's eyes widened. "You don't think that Mother Superior would do that, do you?"

"Of course not," Emma scoffed. "That's why I called you here. Because the last time I checked, you wear a blue cape."

"You can't be serious," Belle said. "I would never attack Regina!"

"But you would attack the Evil Queen," Emma said. "Who I'm sure is also suffering right now and in the same amount of pain as Regina. The same Evil Queen who sped up your pregnancy, and seduced your husband."

Belle looked around the clearing as if trying to find a place to run to or hide. "I would never-"

"I don't care if you did it or not," Emma said. "Right now what I care about is saving Regina. So, where's the antidote to whatever you did to her?"

"I'd have to make it," Belle admitted with a sigh. "Just like I had to make the poison."

"Well then you better get busy," Emma growled. "Because if Regina dies because you wanted to get rid of the Evil Queen, I will kill you myself."

Belle's eyes widened. "I'll get right to work."

* * *

Emma ran into the hospital with a syringe in her hand. Belle had successfully made the antidote, under the watchful eye of Emma (and with a little force of magic), and Emma had taken it before poofing Belle to a cell in the station. She would deal with her later.

"Emma?" Whale said in confusion. "What are you doing running with a syringe?"

"This is a cure for Regina," Emma said breathlessly. "How is she doing?"

"Worse I'm afraid," Whale said. "She just fell into a coma. It doesn't look very good."

"I can fix this," Emma said strongly. "Once she has the antidote then she'll-"

"Doctor Whale!" a nurse said, running frantically into the room. "The mayor is starting to flat-line!"

Whale ran off towards Regina's room, Emma right on his tail. He burst into the room, and nurses grabbed onto Emma to block her path.

"Let her in!" Whale shouted. The nurses backed away quickly to let Emma pass.

Emma pulled out the syringe and sat right next to Regina. "Please don't leave me," she begged. "I love you." Not caring that Whale heard her, Emma pushed the needle into Regina's skin and injected the antidote.

The whole room waited with bated breath as they waited for any signs of Regina waking up. "Please," Emma whispered. "Please wake up."

Regina gasped awake, looking around the room in panic. "You're okay," Emma said, stroking Regina's cheek with a smile. "You're fine. I'm right here."

"How?" Regina asked. "I was dying."

"I found the antidote," Emma said, relieved tears starting to fall onto her cheeks. "Or really, I made Belle make it for me."

Regina's eyes widened. "That's who did this. I remember now."

Emma nodded. "I know. I'm just so glad that you're okay."

"Thank you for getting the antidote," Regina said.

"You should know by now," Emma said, leaning down to kiss Regina gently. "That I would do anything for you."


	283. Day 283: Family Portrait

**Hi everyone! Sorry it took so long for me to update, I've been out of town for the past few days!**

Regina smiled as she saw Lola sitting happily at the kitchen table. She had a piece of paper in front of her, surrounded by crayons of all colors. Her school project was to draw a picture of her family, and she was doing a very good job.

"How's it going?" Regina asked, walking up behind Lola and kissing the top of Lola's head.

"Good!" Lola said excitedly. "You're in purple, just like your favorite color! And Ma is green, like her eyes. Henry is red for his backpack, and Ava is orange for her favorite dress. And I'm pink, like my sparks." To demonstrate her point, Lola showed Regina the sparks that she could make with her magic.

"I see that," Regina said, smiling. "No magic at the kitchen table."

Lola rolled her eyes and went back to coloring. "I have to finish before Ma comes home. She's gonna be so happy to see this!"

"See what?" Emma asked, walking into the room.

"Nothing!" Lola said, quickly picking up her paper and crayons. "I'll be in my room if you need me. Bye!"

Emma stared after Lola in confusion. "What was that about?"

Regina shrugged and walked into the kitchen to begin making dinner. "She's making something and doesn't want you to see it yet."

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"I'm not going to spoil the surprise for her," Regina said, getting out ingredients. "You're just going to have to wait and see."

"But I don't like surprises," Emma whined. "Just tell me."

Regina laughed. "You'll survive. Why don't you help me with dinner while we're waiting?"

Emma sighed. "I guess. What're you making?"

"It's a surprise," Regina teased.

"Not funny," Emma said, glaring at her.

Regina leaned over and kissed her gently. "I'm kidding. Let's get cooking."

"Mommy? Ma?" Lola called. "Can I show you my drawing now? I finished!"

"We would love to see your drawing," Regina said. She turned down the burner on the stove. "I know that your ma has been anxious to see what you were making."

"You bet I have been," Emma said, wiping her hands on her apron and walking over to Lola. "What'd you make Lo?"

Lola proudly held up her drawing for Emma to see. "It's our family!"

Emma froze for a second before plastering a smile on her face and taking the picture from Lola. "It's beautiful Lo. We'll have to hang it on the fridge after you turn it in."

Lola smiled and took the drawing back. "I'm gonna go put it in my backpack so I don't forget!" She ran from the kitchen back to her room, leaving Emma and Regina alone.

"What was that about?" Regina asked once Lola was out of the room.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, walking back over and continuing to chop up the vegetables for the soup they were making.

Regina reached over and gently took the knife out of Emma's hand. "I meant where you froze as Lola showed you the picture that she drew."

"I didn't freeze," Emma argued. "I thought you wanted me to help with dinner. I can't do that if you confiscate the knife."

"Don't change the subject," Regina scolded her gently. "Now come on. What was that about?"

Emma sighed. "I drew something like that once. I felt super close to my foster family, and drew a picture of all of them with me. My foster mother took it from me and tore it up, telling me that I was only a temporary part of their lives."

"That's awful," Regina said. "How could someone say that to a child?"

Emma shrugged. "Wasn't like I hadn't heard of it before. But I haven't seen a drawing like that in a long time. It just caught me off guard."

"Well I think that it's good to see," Regina said. "To show you that you do have a family now. And they're not going anywhere."

Emma smiled. "I know."


	284. Day 284: Warm Cookies

Emma smiled as she walked through the front door. She could instantly smell her favorite kind of food made by her girlfriend. Chocolate chip cookies.

"You're home early," Regina said, smiling. "I was hoping these would all be done by the time you go home."

"David's finishing the paperwork," Emma said. "Besides, cookies are always better warm."

She crept forward as Regina turned her back and reached for a cookie off of the cooling rack, but Regina slapped her hand away. "Patience."

Emma put on her best pout. "But I want a cookie."

Regina chuckled and went back to putting more dough on cookie sheets. "You'll survive until all of the cookies are done."

"Fine," Emma grumbled. She made to leave the room, but waited until Regina's back was turned before running over and grabbing a cookie.

"Emma Swan!" Regina exclaimed, turning back around. "What did I just say?"

Emma licked the cookie in her hand. "I licked it, you can't take it back now."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You are impossible. Fine, you can have that one. But no more! You'll ruin your appetite, and what message is that sending to Henry?"

"That your cookies are the best," Emma said.

Regina laughed and went back to her cookie sheets. "Suck up."

"Duh," Emma said. "Being a suck up gets me more cookies." She took a dramatic bite to emphasize her point.

"You made cookies?" Henry asked, walking into the kitchen. "Those smell amazing!"

"They always do," Regina said. "But no, you don't get any. You'll ruin your appetite."

"But then why did you make them before dinner?" Henry asked. "That's just a tease. Now I want a cookie really badly."

"Well that's too bad," Regina said. "Now go get your homework done. Dinner will be ready by the time you finish."

Henry groaned and went to leave the room. He stopped when he saw the cookie in Emma's hand. "Ma got a cookie!"

"I have things you don't," Emma said. "Cookies aren't the only thing that can be a tease." She winked at Henry, who groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Emma!" Regina scolded.

"I did not need to hear that," Henry said. "I'm going to go do my homework now."

Emma laughed as Henry quickly left the room. "See? That's how you get him to do his homework."

"You are impossible," Regina said.

"I know," Emma said. "But isn't that worth another cookie?"

Regina just laughed and held out another cookie for Emma to take. She smiled and took it triumphantly. "Victory."

 **Short, but sweet. Like a cookie :)**


	285. Day 285: Car Ride

Emma rolled over, instantly waking up at the feeling of empty space next to her. She looked over her shoulder to see what time it was, and groaned when she saw that it was just after 1 in the morning.

Sighing, she took the covers off and got out bed. Knowing Regina, she was most likely downstairs working. That's what she always did when she couldn't sleep.

Sure enough, Regina was downstairs in her study, hovering over a large pile of books.

"What are you working on?" Emma asked, leaning against the door frame.

Regina jumped. "What are you doing up?"

"I woke up when I went to roll over next to you and you weren't there," Emma said. "Now, what are you doing down here?"

"I couldn't sleep," Regina said. "There was too much to get done. There has to be some way to get your parents awake at the same time."

Emma smiled at her. "I love that you care. But it's not worth losing sleep over."

"But it is," Regina argued. "I'm the Evil Queen. Anything she pulls is technically my responsibility. I need to fix this."

Emma pushed herself off of the door frame and walked over to where Regina was standing, wrapping her arms around Regina's waist. "And you will. Just at an hour that normal people are awake."

"I thought we had determined by now that I'm not normal," Regina said.

Emma chuckled. "Come on. Let's go for a drive."

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked. "I can't leave."

"Just for a break," Emma promised. "We'll come back after we take a little drive around town. Come on."

Regina sighed and closed her book. "Fine. But only a short break. I need to get back to work on this."

* * *

Emma smiled in victory as she looked over at Regina in the passenger seat. What Regina didn't realize was that Emma had figured out by now that Regina always fell asleep whenever they went for a drive.

She had discovered this on their many trips together in the car. Regina stayed awake for about 10 minutes before completely falling asleep, which was exactly what Emma planned on.

They drove around for about 5 minutes before Regina's eyes began to flutter closed. "Maybe we should head back home," she suggested with a yawn.

"Sure," Emma said. She turned around in a side street and drove back towards the mansion. She slowed down, taking more time. She glanced over and smiled at seeing Regina fast asleep.

"Victory," Emma whispered, continuing to drive to make sure that Regina was fully asleep. After a couple more minutes, she pulled into the driveway. Regina stayed asleep, so Emma went around and picked her up, poofing them upstairs.

"Sweet dreams," Emma whispered, kissing Regina's forehead. "You'll thank me for this tomorrow morning."


	286. Day 286: Bomb Blast

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "** **King George wants revenge against Charming, so he has place a bomb in the house of David and Snow. Once the bomb exploded, only Snow and Regina are there. Emma, David and the kids are on the way home."**

"We should do this more often," Snow said, pulling another cookie sheet out of the oven. "I mean, I wish that we had been on better terms before, but I'm glad that we are now."

"I suppose that it is my fault," Regina said apologetically. "If there's one thing I do better than most people, it's holding a grudge."

Snow laughed. "I don't blame you. You trusted me with a secret, and I betrayed your trust. Resulting in the death of your first love actually. Go me."

Regina smiled. "Yes, go you."

They worked together in comfortable silence before Regina froze and tilted her head as if listening to something. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Snow asked. "It almost feels too quiet without our spouses and the kids around."

Emma and David had taken Henry, Neal, and little Eva for a day at the park while Regina and Emma stayed behind and cooked. Regina wasn't up for much activity being 5 months pregnant, so Snow had stayed behind as well to keep her company.

"There's a beeping noise," Regina said, walking towards it.

"A beeping noise?" Snow questioned, following closely behind her.

"Stay there," Regina commanded, holding out her hand to stop Snow from moving forward. "We don't know what it is."

"You shouldn't be the one investigating then," Snow protested, grabbing her arm. "I'll go look."

Regina rolled her eyes but obediently stepped back and let Snow walk towards the unusual noise.

Snow walked into her bedroom, frowning, as she got closer to Eva's crib. What was going on? She lifted up Eva's blanket and gasped at seeing the flashing red light attached to a very well made bomb. The countdown marked only 15 seconds before the whole thing blew.

"Regina we need to get out of here now!" Snow shouted, running back and grabbing Regina's hand.

"What's going on?" Regina demanded, pulling against Snow's grip.

"There's a bomb in Eva's crib," Snow said, pulling Regina down the stairs of the apartment. Once they reached the bottom, Snow led Regina to a spot under the stairs, crouching down so they could huddle close together for protection.

"Why aren't we leaving then?" Regina asked. "We aren't much safer down here than up there!"

"We didn't have time to make it out," Snow said. "I thought we could use some cover."

Regina went to argue, but was cut off as the bomb went off, letting loose an explosion that rocked the whole building. Regina and Snow both winced, grabbing onto each other and holding on for dear life. Debris fell from upstairs, but nothing hit them. They were safe.

* * *

"What was that?" Emma asked, spinning around to look for the source of the giant noise that they had heard. It had sounded like a cannon had gone off, but that clearly wasn't the case. Black smoke was filling the sky in an all too familiar direction.

"That looks like it's coming from the apartment," David said slowly. "Which would really not be good."

"You think?" Emma said sarcastically. "You round up the kiddos and drive back. I'm going to poof and see if I can find out what's going on."

David nodded and went to the swings to grab Eva and Henry. Neal was off with a group of his little friends in the sandbox, which Emma knew meant that it would take David awhile to get him to leave. She didn't have time to wait.

What scared her most was the thought of what that loud noise and smoke could have meant. Because if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that the noise reminded her of a bomb.

* * *

"Regina?" Emma called frantically, coughing as dust floated around her. The apartment was destroyed, but luckily no one had been inside when it had exploded. Or so the firefighters said when they walked through the building. No one was there.

But Emma knew differently. Regina wouldn't have wanted to leave the house, and Snow would have just agreed to stay with her no matter what. Chances are they had done something low-key, and then heard the bomb ticking. Emma had a feeling that Regina and Snow were still inside.

"Sheriff, there's no one in here," the lead firefighter protested. "We searched everywhere, there's no sign of the mayor or your mother."

Emma was just about to give up when she saw the purple sparks coming from a pile of rubble. It had gathered and closed off the underside of the staircase leading upstairs, which had also been destroyed.

"Wait!" Emma called to the firefighter. "Get someone to clear this rubble. Regina and Snow are in there!"

The firefighter sighed but called a group of his men to come help him move aside the pile of debris. When it was cleared away, and the dust had dissipated, Regina and Snow stepped out from under the stairs, completely unharmed.

Emma ran over to Regina and hugged her as tightly as possible, then leaned down and quickly kissed her stomach. "Are you both okay?" she asked, standing back up. "What happened?"

"There was a bomb in Eva's crib," Regina croaked, coughing. "It went off just as we got under the stairs."

"Thank goodness you weren't in the apartment," Emma said in relief. "Mom are you okay too?"

Snow nodded. "Just a little shaken up. I'll live."

"Good," Emma said, smiling at her. She took Regina's hand and pulled her outside, straight towards an ambulance.

Regina groaned as she saw where they were going. "How did I know that you were going to do this to me?"

Emma chuckled before pushing her towards the vehicle. "Just humor me. I want to make sure that both you and the baby are fine."

Regina smiled as she felt a kick from their little girl. "Trust me, she's fine. And definitely full of spirit."

Emma just smiled. "That's my girl."


	287. Day 287: Dementors

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "What if dementors (from Harry Potter) existed in Storybrooke and went after Regina. Would Emma's magic be able to create a patronus in time to protect Regina and what form would it take?"**

 **To get Emma's patronus I actually took a quiz imagining what her answers would be. I normally wouldn't do a crossover like this, but I loved the idea since HP is my #1 obsession. Enjoy!**

"So we've got a very cool but very dangerous problem," Henry said, walking into the living room. Emma and Regina were sitting together on the couch watching a movie while Ava read a book in the corner. Lola was nowhere to be found.

"What did you do?" Regina demanded.

"I didn't do anything," Henry said, stepping to the side and pointing at Lola. "She did."

"Lo?" Emma asked. "What did you do? Did you do magic again?"

"Not on purpose!" Lola protested. "Henry was reading me my daily chapter and we got the part in the book where the dementors come and I said that it would be interesting if they were really here and then one just came out of the book and glided away."

"You summoned a creature from a book?" Regina asked.

Lola nodded. "And before you ask, I don't know where it went."

Emma groaned. Sometimes Lola forgot how powerful she was, resulting in something like this happening. "You three stay here. Your mom and I will deal with this before it goes after someone."

"Why would it do that?" Henry asked. "There's no bad witches or wizards here."

"No, but there are villains," Emma said. "And the last time I checked, Maleficent and Lily still live in this town."

Henry and Lola's eyes widened. "Oh. Right."

"Stay safe," Regina said. "If it comes back here, Lola you have my permission to poof yourself and your siblings to someplace safe. Poof as many times as you can to get away from it until we find a way to stop it."

"Wait, I have an idea," Lola said, running back upstairs. She grabbed her book and came back down. "The only way to get rid of a dementor is by using Expecto Patronum right? You need a wand for that."

"And how am I going to get one of those?" Emma asked.

Lola just smiled and flipped open the book until she found a passage about Harry using his wand. "I wonder what it would be like to have Harry's wand." She stared at the book for a while before it glowed pink. Everyone watched in shock as Harry's wand appeared, neatly balancing on the pages of the book.

"You are a genius," Emma said, picking up the wand. "Come on Regina. Let's go fight a fictional monster."

* * *

After everything that had happened, Maleficent and Lily had decided to move into the cabin in the woods where the Queens of Darkness had met. It didn't have the greatest memories, but it was better than staying in town and being ridiculed.

Hardly anyone ever visited, so the pair was especially surprised when Regina and Emma suddenly appeared in their house.

"What are you doing here?" Lily said, glaring at Regina. The last thing she remembered of the other woman was her triggering a huge dragon attack.

"We're trying to save you," Regina said. "There's a monster on its way here, and it will no doubt come for you both. You need to stay here so it still picks up on you, but you'll be safe."

"What's your plan?" Maleficent asked.

Regina looked at Emma. What was their plan?

Emma smiled. "You're going to be my bait. You're a villain as well, so it would love to get a taste of you. I'll use the spell from the book to hold it off and direct it back where it came from."

"I'm the bait," Regina said. "Of course I am."

* * *

Regina looked around the forest anxiously. Where was this monster? There was a crack of a twig behind her, and the air suddenly grew cold. Regina whipped around and saw it. There was the dementor, watching her.

"You're here for me," Regina said. The dementor said nothing, just continued to float there. "Well come on then, get it over with."

The dementor glided forward quietly until it was an arm's length away. Emma chose that moment to jump out from the bushes and fire her spell.

"Expecto Patronum!" she yelled, smiling triumphantly when white light burst from the end of her wand. The dementor shied away from the bright light when a stag erupted from the end of Emma's wand, running around it and poking it with its antlers.

Emma laughed at her patronus' antics before directing the light, and the dementor, towards the book. Once the dementor was inside, it slammed closed, trapping the monster inside.

"Well that was exciting," Regina said, looking down at the book warily.

"Definitely," Emma said, panting. She realized that she was no longer holding a wand, assuming that it most likely had gone back to its master. "Let's make a deal right now."

"What's that?' Regina asked.

"Lola doesn't get to read anymore Harry Potter," Emma said. Regina just laughed.

 **For those of you who are wondering, here's the definition of Emma's patronus: You're brave and fearless, and your greatest asset is your ability to love (even in the darkest of times). Sometimes you get a bit hotheaded and impatient, but your friends are your source of peace, getting you through the good and bad. Your Patronus takes the form of a stag, the same as Harry Potter. In other words, you are The Chosen One.**


	288. Day 288: Romantic Gifts

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Or if you're me, happy Singles Awareness Day!**

Emma had never been one for romantic things. She had never been in a relationship long enough for anything to be required. And yet here she was, trying to think of something romantic to do for her fiancé. And she couldn't think of anything.

She could have asked for help, but that would have just been embarrassing. Who asks for advice on what to get your significant other for a big romantic day? You should be able to do that yourself.

Emma sighed as she went through website after website, hoping that she could find anything that could help her. Regina most likely wouldn't do anything since she probably didn't even know that today was day to celebrate couples and be romantic.

"What are you looking at?" Henry asked, walking into the station.

"Nothing," Emma said quickly, clicking on a different tab. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I needed to get out of there," Henry said. "There's valentines everywhere and I don't know what to do for Violet. I thought that maybe you could help me."

Emma laughed. "I am as far from romantic as you can get, kid. I'm having a hard time finding something for your mom."

"She's easy," Henry said. "All she's ever wanted for so long is to have her happy ending, and you're already making that happen."

"But that's not helping me think of something to get her," Emma argued. "That's telling me something I already know."

Henry rolled his eyes. "What I mean is, give her something that has to do with your happy ending and she'll love it."

Emma smiled at Henry and ruffled his hair. "You are a genius, you know that?"

"I know," Henry said, smoothing down his hair. "Now what should I do for Violet?"

* * *

Emma smiled as she left the flower shop. Her idea was one of pure genius, of course with a little help from Henry.

She had told Henry to start his first Valentine's Day with something small, so he had purchased Violet a bouquet of roses and a teddy bear with a little red ribbon around its neck. According to Henry's text, the gifts had been a success. Now it was Emma's turn.

When she got home she put her present in a little pink box with a red bow and set it on the table before beginning to prepare dinner. Living in New York City with Henry had taught her how to cook, even the harder things like what she was planning tonight.

As Emma cooked, the kitchen filled with the delicious aroma of Alfredo sauce and garlic bread. It was the typical romantic meal, but Emma enjoyed it nonetheless. And knowing Regina, she would too.

Regina walked into the house and immediately smiled at the smells. She did know what today was, and had gotten something for Emma as well, but she was delighted that Emma had made dinner.

"That smells amazing," Regina said, walking into the kitchen.

Emma turned around and smiled at her. "Who knew right? I can actually cook a delicious and romantic meal."

Regina laughed and reached forward to grab the bread on its pan. "I'll help you finish."

* * *

After their dinner together, they exchanged packages. Regina insisted that Emma open hers first, claiming that she just wanted to see Emma's face when she opened it.

Emma laughed and tore open the wrapping paper, looking in confusion at the present before her. It looked like a...book?

Regina laughed. "I can tell that you're confused."

"A little bit," Emma admitted.

"Both of our stories are in Henry's book, but weren't written by us," Regina said. "This is our book that we get to write. We're going to write our story, together. From now until death do us part."

Emma smiled and leaned over to kiss Regina. "I love it. And you. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Regina said. She picked up her box and carefully unwrapped it, earning an eye roll from Emma. She just laughed and opened the box, looking inside and then at Emma in confusion.

"Now who's the confused one?" Emma teased. She knew why Regina was confused, and had expected her to be. Because what she said next was where the romance came in.

"Those are rose seeds," Emma said. "I know that you like gardening, and roses are romantic."

"But roses could take years to grow," Regina said.

"Exactly," Emma said. "We're going to grow them together. And as they grow, so will our relationship and our family. The roses will grow with us. Some may fail along the way, and that's okay. Because not everything in life is perfect. But no matter what, we'll always have our roses."

Regina smiled and put down the box before hugging Emma tightly. "I love you so much."

Emma just smiled and hugged her back. "I love you too."


	289. Day 289: Sugar and Salt

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Emma volunteers to make the hot chocolate, after all what could go wrong? Turns out she can't tell the difference between sugar and salt lol."**

It was snowing lightly outside, covering the ground and plants in a light layer of fluffy white snowflakes. Emma smiled. She loved snow and winter. When she was younger, winter was the only time where she could have fun sledding down hills with her foster siblings.

"Why are you staring out of the window with a smile?" Regina asked, walking up next to her.

Emma shrugged. "I just like snow."

"But it's cold," Regina said. "Wouldn't you rather be warm?"

"That's what blankets are for," Emma said. "When it's cold, it's the perfect time to cuddle up with someone under a blanket."

Regina hummed thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I guess I'll give you some points for that."

"There's also hot chocolate," Emma said. "Hot chocolate is the best cure for being cold. Especially how I make it."

Regina raised her eyebrows. "There's more than one way to make hot chocolate?"

"Of course," Emma said. "Everyone has their own special touches to add that makes it special."

"Like the whipped cream and cinnamon?" Regina asked.

"That's my mom's thing," Emma said. "My thing is adding a little bit of sugar to the mixture to make it extra sweet."

"Well I've tried your mother's," Regina said. "Why don't I try yours?"

Emma smiled. "I'd love that."

* * *

Emma hummed "Jingle Bells" as she gathered her ingredients. Christmas was long over, but the snow was keeping her in the spirit as much as it was driving Regina nuts.

"You're humming that song again?" Regina asked, rolling her eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

Emma laughed. "Why not? It's still snowing, which means that it's basically still Christmas."

"You are insane," Regina said, shaking her head and chuckling.

"You're just realizing this?" Emma teased.

Regina laughed. "No, I've known it for awhile. But I love you anyway."

"Good," Emma said. "Now shoo and let me work my magic."

Regina rolled her eyes and left the room, heading back to the warm fire in the living room. Emma gathered her ingredients, not even noticing that she had grabbed the salt instead of the sugar.

Restarting her humming, Emma finished her and Regina's hot chocolates. She breathed in the sweet aroma of chocolate before picking up the mugs and heading to the living room.

"Ta da!" she said proudly, setting down the mugs. "I present to you my hot chocolate."

"We're going to have to think of a more clever name than that," Regina teased, picking up her mug.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Just make sure that it tastes good first."

Regina smiled and took a drink, swallowing slowly. "That's...interesting. You said your special touch is sugar, correct?"

"Yeah," Emma said. She picked up her mug and took a sip, her face contorting, as she tasted the drink. "What the heck?"

Regina laughed at Emma's face. "Are you sure that you put sugar in?"

"Pretty sure," Emma said. "Maybe your sugar is bad."

"Or," Regina said, chuckling. "You put salt in instead of sugar."

Emma's eyes widened. "No way. I'm not that dumb."

"Mistakes happen," Regina said. "They are in pretty similar containers. And look pretty much the same."

"I did not put salt in!" Emma protested.

Regina set down her mug and stood up, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her up and out to the kitchen. They walked together to the counter and Regina smiled before pointing at the salt container. "Is this what you used?"

"Yeah," Emma said. "It's a white container for sugar."

"White is for salt," Regina said. "The sugar is in the pink one."

Emma opened it up and stuck her finger in, her face slowly going red, as she tasted salt instead of sugar. "Oops."

Regina laughed and kissed Emma's cheek. "You are adorable."


	290. Day 290: Purple and Turquoise

**So there's a girl at my school who recently committed suicide, and while I didn't know her at all, this chapter is dedicated to her and suicide awareness.**

"What are you looking for?" Regina asked, walking into the bedroom. Emma was standing in front of their closet, taking clothes out and putting them on the bed as she searched for whatever she was looking for.

"I'm looking for a purple shirt," Emma said, taking more shirts out and placing them on the bed.

"I don't think you own anything purple," Regina said. "Why do you need that specific color?"

"No reason," Emma said. "Could I borrow one of your shirts? I know for a fact that you own purple."

"I suppose," Regina said. "But I don't see why you need to wear a specific color. The only time that anyone does that is when there's an event, and there isn't anything going on right now."

"Not in the town," Emma said. "I have my own reason for wearing this color." She stepped past Regina and stopped in the doorway. "Henry!"

"Yeah?" Henry said, sticking his head out of his bedroom.

"Do you still have the turquoise bandana?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded. "Do you want it? I'll have to dig it up, but I know that it's around here somewhere."

"Yes," Emma said, smiling. "Thank you!"

"What is going on with you?" Regina asked. "Purple and turquoise? That is the most obscure color combination I have ever heard of."

Emma shrugged and pulled out one of Regina's dark purple blouses. She set it on the bed before putting all of her shirts away again. "It isn't the weirdest thing that I've worn in my life."

"But it has meaning," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "It's for a friend."

"I see," Regina said. "And you're wearing these colors for this person why?"

"Because these colors are for suicide prevention," Emma said. "I wear these colors on this day because this was the day that I lost one of my friends and foster sisters."

"I'm so sorry," Regina said, pulling Emma to her and hugging her tightly.

"It was a good foster home, but her social worker came to pick her up saying that her mother was stable enough to support them again," Emma mumbled. "She didn't want to go back, but she couldn't stay with the foster family. So she killed herself."

"What happened after that?" Regina asked. "I can't imagine that they let the couple continue fostering."

"It wasn't their fault," Emma said. "They kept fostering, but I left. I couldn't stand to be in the house that had her memories in it."

"Did you run away or were you removed?" Regina asked.

Emma chuckled. "I was removed. Started causing trouble so they would complain. I think they knew that I was doing it on purpose, which disappointed them, but they understood."

Regina pulled away from Emma. "Do you think about her every year on this day?"

Emma nodded. "Whenever I wear purple and turquoise on this day, it's like I'm honoring her memory and the time we spent together. She was such a great person, and didn't deserve to die so young."

"You know, we could use this," Regina said. "Today could be an education day for all of the kids of this town about suicide and how to prevent it from happening."

"No one in this town has done it though," Emma said.

"Don't think that no one has tried," Regina countered. "There were attempts from those who couldn't find their families and didn't want to go on without them. Think of the impact that we could make."

"But they have classes and everything," Emma said. "They can't just take a day off to have people talk to them about something that they don't want to hear."

Regina grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed it gently. "I know that you don't want to talk about it, but it's one of those things that needs to be talked about. Wouldn't you rather talk to a group of teenagers about seeking help instead of having to tell their parents that they died?"

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I guess."

"This may be a magical town, but it's still a town," Regina said. "There's still drama, bullying, and a bunch of other issues that plenty of other towns have. We'll call off classes for the day and just have a huge morning session with every kid and parent in this town, followed by an opportunity to meet with Archie."

"How are you just going to call off classes for the day?" Emma asked.

"I'm the mayor of this town," Regina said. "I can do anything I want. Now, what was your friend's name that you lost?"

"Chloe," Emma said. "Why does that matter?"

"Because," Regina said. "From now on, this town has a suicide prevention day, and it will be called Chloe Day."


	291. Day 291: Roommate

**So since I'm running out of ideas and I need the new part of the season to come out for new material, I decided to do a college AU. Enjoy :)**

Emma sighed in relief as she set down the last box. Most other people had parents and siblings to help them, but Emma was all alone. She didn't remember her parents much, only the fact that they had given her up as a baby and she had been passed from foster home to foster home.

All of that time had led her to push people away, and she wasn't a very friendly person. All throughout school, kids had run away whenever she came close. Her poor roommate.

Emma's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room opened and another girl stepped in. She too was alone, and carrying a huge box that looked way too heavy for someone wearing heels. Because Emma did notice with a start that this girl was wearing heels.

The girl set down the box on her bed with a grunt and smiled sheepishly at Emma. "I probably could have gotten someone stronger to help me with that."

Emma just looked at her for a few moments before turning away and beginning to unpack her boxes.

The girl brushed her hands on her skirt uncomfortably before walking over and standing next to Emma. "Your name's Emma, right? I'm Regina."

"Nice to meet you," Emma said, not looking away from her unpacking. Regina waited several more moments before sighing and going back to her bed and opening her own box.

"You know, we're going to be living together for this whole year," Regina said after several beats of silence. "You might as well get used to me and actually be nice."

"Trust me," Emma said. "You would know if I wasn't being nice."

* * *

The next few weeks passed without any interaction between Emma and Regina whatsoever. Emma was majoring in criminology and was always busy with her classes and visiting the closest bar with her fake ID. Regina, on the other hand, was busy with her political science major and helping with theatre productions.

They were opposite people, and it showed whenever anyone saw them together. People could tell that Emma had a dark past, and fled whenever she came near. Regina, however, attracted people wherever she went. Not that she minded. She had the grace and poise befitting of a queen.

And then one day, it was as if Regina snapped. She wanted her roommate to be her friend, not someone who only used their room as a place to get away from the real world or to come home drunk to.

Emma was lying on her bed, flipping lazily through one of her textbooks. She was supposed to be studying for a test tomorrow, but didn't really feel like it.

Regina glanced over and noticed this, and closed her own book with a loud noise. Emma jumped and glared at her, not appreciating it.

"Why do you hate me?" Regina asked. "I haven't done anything to you and yet you act as if I trashed our room before you even got here. Why are you so mean?"

Emma shrugged. "I've been through a lot."

"You think you're the only one who has?" Regina asked. "I don't know what you've been through, but I've been through things too. Don't act like you're the only one who's faced the cruelty of the world, because you're not. So grow up and start acting like a normal human being."

Emma looked at Regina in shock. She had never raised her voice before; even when Emma came home wasted and threw up all over the floor.

Before Emma could say anything, Regina mumbled something about getting a snack and left the room. Even when she was mad, she still managed to close the door lightly.

Emma groaned before getting off of her bed. She supposed that she had been awful to Regina since they had moved in together. Maybe Regina was right. Maybe it was time that she stopped brooding and actually embraced enjoying life.

She ended up finding Regina right outside of the dorm, sitting on a bench and looking out at the courtyard. The campus was a beautiful place, especially when it was fall and all of the leaves were changing and falling to the ground.

Emma sat heavily next to Regina. "You're right. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you. You didn't deserve to be at the end of my attitude, and I shouldn't have been treating you like I have been. I'm a jerk, I know."

Regina shrugged. "I just think that you're misunderstood. You feed off of the reactions that people give to you, which is why I've always tried to be kind no matter what. You're not the only one who's been through hardships. But that was the past."

"Our past shapes our future," Emma argued.

"No, our past shapes who we are," Regina said. "It is up to us to shape our future based on what we learned from the past. I don't know what you learned, but clearly it wasn't good."

Emma chuckled. "Not at all."

"There's a way to deal with that," Regina said. "It's called friends."

"No one wants to be my friend," Emma scoffed. "I've only been here a few weeks and people already avoid me."

"Not everyone," Regina argued. "I want to be your friend. If you'll let me that is."

Emma looked over at her in surprise before smiling. "I think that can be arranged."


	292. Day 292: Yee-Haw!

**Don't judge me based on the chapter title. Anyway, this chapter is for bstix with the prompt: "Emma and Regina go to a rodeo."**

"Can I take this off now?" Regina asked impatiently, tugging on her blindfold. They had been in the car for several hours, and Regina had been blindfolded for all of it.

"Almost," Emma said, laughing at her impatience. "Consider this payback for blindfolding me yesterday."

"It wasn't for this long," Regina argued. "Where are we even going?"

"The point of the blindfold is to keep you from knowing that," Emma said. "Just be patient."

Regina sighed dramatically and sat back in her chair. Emma laughed and kept driving. What she had in mind was something that Regina would never approve of if she knew where they were going beforehand.

They finally arrived, and Emma pulled into a parking spot and parked the bug. "Okay, you can take it off now."

"Finally," Regina said, pulling it off. She looked at their surroundings before groaning. "Seriously?"

"Come on," Emma said. "It's not just bull riding. There's more to it than that. Besides, their champion bull rider is a woman. Girl power!"

Regina laughed. "Fine. But I hope you realize that the sign up front says 'Rough Riding Night'."

Emma looked at the sign and smiled sheepishly. "Whoops."

* * *

The sign proved true, as did the term "Rough Riding". The night consisted of person after person getting bucked off of horses and bulls alike, each one staying on for a little longer than the next.

"This is almost cruel," Regina shouted over the noise of the stadium. There were hundreds of people there, each shouting for their favorite rider. Talking to the person next to you was nearly impossible.

Emma shrugged. "It's for sport. Also to see who is the most macho."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Men."

Emma burst out laughing. "Not every man is into seeing other ones get bucked off of a bull. But you have to admit, it is slightly entertaining."

"I guess," Regina said. "Honestly they deserve to get bucked off. I wouldn't want some stranger jumping onto my back."

"You also don't have pointy horns and run around an arena like a bat out of hell," Emma said.

"Not that you know of," Regina said. "Don't try me."

Emma laughed. "You are ridiculous."

"At least I'm not riding a bucking horse," Regina said. She glanced at Emma, who had a slight smirk on her face. "I'm not. Am I?"

"Not a real one," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on."

"I don't like where this is going," Regina said, reluctantly letting Emma pull her along. "Where are we going?"

"The lobby," Emma said. "Nothing too special."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the mechanical bull I saw in the lobby does it?" Regina asked.

Emma just smiled. "Wait and see."

* * *

"There is no way that I am getting on that thing," Regina said, crossing her arms. "No way."

"Please," Emma begged. "I won't take a picture or anything. I just want to see how long you can last on it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "No way. I am not getting on a fake bull and letting it buck me around until I fall off."

Emma sighed. "What if I do it first?"

"Still no," Regina said. "Although feel free to embarrass yourself in front of this whole lobby."

"So dramatic," Emma teased, walking forward and paying the dollar. She took off her shoes and got into the ring, climbing on top of her bull.

Regina slowly pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened her camera app, secretly snapping photos of Emma as she hung on for dear life. The fake bull bucked back and forth, and Emma eventually fell off. She got to her feet and brushed herself off before putting on her shoes and joining Regina, who didn't even bother to put her phone away.

"You were taking pictures?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "You promised not to take pictures of me. I made no such promise."

Emma rolled her eyes and mumbled something about loopholes before leaving. Regina just followed her with a victorious smile.


	293. Day 293: Fish Talk

**Ok guys so I hate AU. I only did it because I ran out of stuff to write and I was desperate. Please don't leave me AU prompts because I won't do them and I feel bad not doing prompts.**

 **This chapter is for Guest with the prompt: "Going back to Fish the dog, he gets hold of one of Regina's potions and suddenly has the ability to talk. Whether the effect is permanent or not is up to you."**

 **If you don't remember Fish, refer to Day 180.**

Even though Regina had wanted to change Fish's name, he had ended up keeping it. There was too much of a history behind it, so it had been the family decision to let him keep his name.

Fish was a pretty well behaved dog, but every once in awhile he got into more trouble than he probably should have. His long sheepdog fur shed all over the place, much to Regina's dismay, and he was constantly eating things that he shouldn't be.

In the end, it was his love of eating things that got him in trouble. Regina had been brewing a potion and had messed up along the way. She had tried doing it from memory, but something didn't seem right.

She had left the potion on the island to go get her potion book and check what she had done wrong, not noticing that Fish had been patiently waiting for her to leave. Once Regina was out of sight, Fish trotted over to the island and put his paws up to give him better access to the potion.

He sniffed the potion, sneezing as some got in his nose. It didn't smell off. And anything that was on the island had to be edible, right?

Making his final decision, Fish grabbed the vial of potion and dumped it onto the floor, dropping the vial before licking up every last drop. He didn't feel any different, but the liquid hadn't had any taste. How disappointing.

"Fish!" Regina scolded, walking back into the room carrying her book. "What did you do to my potion?"

Fish whined guiltily and looked down at the floor. Regina sighed and put the book down before waving her hand to get rid of the broken glass. "You are trouble walking on four fluffy legs."

Fish looked at her and wagged his tail hesitantly. Regina laughed and scratched behind his ears in his favorite spot. "I suppose your cuteness makes up for it. Now go bother Henry."

Happy once more, Fish trotted upstairs to Henry's room. Henry was at his desk, working on his homework. He wanted to get it all done before dinner so that he could spend the night with his moms, but math was proving to be more difficult than usual.

Fish walked into the room, nudging Henry gently to get his attention. "Hey Fish," Henry said with a smile. "I gotta get my homework done, okay? Then we can play."

Wagging his tail, Fish laid down next to Henry's chair. "I like that plan."

Henry jumped and looked down at Fish with wide eyes. "Did you just say something?"

Fish looked up at Henry and tilted his head. "Me?"

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed. "You're talking!"

"I am?" Fish asked. "That's odd. I've never done that before. Maybe it's that weird liquid that I drank off of the floor."

"Oh no," Henry groaned. He ran downstairs, Fish right at his heels. "Mom! We have a big problem!"

"What's going on?" Regina asked, pausing in her potion work. "I can't really talk right now. I need to finish this potion."

"This has to do with the last potion that you made," Henry said. "The one that Fish drank."

"What about it?" Regina asked.

"It tasted really good!" Fish said, tail wagging furiously. "I'm sorry for putting my paws on the island though."

"He can talk," Regina said with wide eyes. "The dog can talk."

"Yeah," Henry said. "That wasn't supposed to happen, right?"

"What wasn't supposed to happen?" Emma asked, walking into the kitchen.

"I can talk!" Fish said, trotting over to greet her. "I'm so happy to see you! I haven't seen you since you fed me breakfast this morning!"

"Fish can talk," Emma said, staring at Regina. "What the heck did you do?"

"He drank one of my potions," Regina said.

Emma looked down at Fish. "Will it wear off?"

Regina shrugged. "Eventually. But for now, we have a talking dog."

"Perfect," Emma said. "Come on Fish, let's go for a walk. I'm sure you can tell me lots of embarrassing stories about what Regina does when I'm not home."

"Of course!" Fish said, following her to the front door. "Where to start!"

"Emma!" Regina called, running after her. "Don't you dare go anywhere with the talking dog!"

Henry rolled his eyes. Only his family.


	294. Day 294: Bruise

**So I got my blood drawn 2 days ago, and I have a huge bruise still and it hurts. Cool.**

"I got a call today from Whale," Emma said. "Funny, considering it was meant for you. Something about getting blood work done that you haven't shown up for yet?"

Regina shrugged. "I haven't had time to go in."

"Sure you haven't," Emma said. "You've had an empty schedule all week. You can't tell me that you haven't had one chance to go in for some quick blood work."

"It's not like I need to have it done," Regina said.

"He wouldn't have called if he didn't want to do it," Emma said. "He just wants to check out a few things with your levels. No big deal."

Regina had been getting sick throughout the past several weeks, and it had begun worrying Emma, pushing her to make an appointment with Whale. He had checked everything over, and only needed blood work to confirm his theory.

"Yes absolutely no big deal to have a needle stuck into your arm to suck blood out of you," Regina said sarcastically. "Sounds like a wonderful time."

"I never said it would be fun," Emma said. "But it is necessary. Please go."

Regina sighed. "Fine. I'll go."

* * *

"Everything go okay?" Emma asked, walking through the front door. She could see the pink dot on Regina's arm that indicated that she had actually gone and gotten the blood work done, which Emma was thankful for.

"Oh just peachy," Regina said, wincing as she moved her arm. "They didn't miss my vein the first time and end up just drawing blood. Nope, everything went perfect."

Emma grabbed Regina's arm gently and brought it into the light for examination. Sure enough there was already a slight bruise on Regina's arm.

"Ouch," Emma said sympathetically. "I hate when that happens. But I'm glad that you at least got it done."

"It better be worth it," Regina said, rubbing her arm. "I do not enjoy being stuck in the arm with a needle. Especially when they do it wrong."

"You'd be amazed at how many people suck at their jobs," Emma said. "Especially when those jobs are given to them as a result of a curse."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Are you talking about Archie again?"

"He's so unqualified to be a therapist," Emma said. "He was even a cricket for a while! If that doesn't scream unqualified I don't know what does."

Regina laughed. "Everyone was given their jobs for a reason. Even if they aren't always the best at it." She held up her arm to emphasize her point.

"That bruise is going to get worse if you don't move your arm," Emma said, gently bending Regina's arm towards her body.

"Ow, ow, ow," Regina said, quickly pulling her arm out of Emma's grasp. "That wasn't nice of you."

"It's going to get stiff and just make it worse," Emma said. "It'll hurt for awhile and then get better. Trust me."

Regina looked at her skeptically before gently moving her arm and stretching it out. She winced every time at first, but slowly stopped wincing and just bent it. "It still hurts, but not as terrible. How did you know that would work?"

"I lived with a doctor once," Emma said. "He would just tell us random things about medicine and medical information that we didn't really care about. But for some reason that trick always stuck with me. Guess it came in handy."

"It did," Regina agreed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Emma said. "Do you know when you'll hear from Whale about the results from the blood test?"

"He said by the end of the day," Regina said. She laughed at Emma's wide-eyed look. "Benefits of a small town. There's nothing else to do."

Emma went to say something but jumped as Regina's phone rang. Regina took it out of her pocket, not even bother to look at the caller ID before answering. "Mayor Mills. Yes. I see. Are you sure? Very positive? Well this is certainly a large development. Yes, I'll tell her. I'll call sometime tomorrow and schedule an appointment with you. Uh huh. Yes, thank you. Bye." She hung up and looked over at Emma, who looked anxious enough to run.

"That was my results," Regina said.

"And?" Emma asked impatiently. "What's going on?"

"You may want to sit down," Regina said, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"Why?" Emma asked. "What's going on? Just tell me!"

Regina sighed. "I'm pregnant."


	295. Day 295: Beat the Heat

**This chapter is for MetanoiaAm with the prompt: "Storybrooke is dealing with the mother of all heat waves. So Emma and Regina decide to combat the heat, magic user style."**

"Why is it so hot?" Emma whined. She was already in a swimsuit, lying in the middle of the foyer on the cool tile.

Storybrooke was going through the biggest heat wave ever, and no one knew what to do about it. Fans only did so much, and air conditioning was on in every home at full blast. Yet nothing seemed to help.

"It's supposed to cool down later tonight," Regina said, chuckling at the sight of Emma on the floor. "You'll survive."

"Says you," Emma mumbled. "You could be sweating to death and still look like a model."

Regina shrugged. "We all have our strengths."

Emma rolled her eyes before sitting up. "You know what would really help with the heat right now? A pool. We could cool down in the nice water."

"Storybrooke doesn't have a pool," Regina said.

"It could," Emma said. "Last time I checked you are the mayor and can make anything just appear in this town with a wave of your hand."

"I don't use my magic for getting things that I want," Regina said. "Magic isn't a toy."

Emma groaned and lay back down on the floor. "I'm going to die of heatstroke if it doesn't cool down soon. Why can't you just make a pool? Or summon high blasting fans? Those would be nice."

"Again with the magic not being a toy," Regina said. "You're not going to die. Just think of the poor people living in the southern states right now. They are probably dying at the moment."

"Well I'm not them," Emma said. "I'm me, and I live in Maine, and I'm dying from the heat and just asked my amazing wife to create a swimming pool but she won't and now I'm going to die."

Regina laughed and rolled her eyes. "Must you always be so dramatic?"

Emma shrugged. "It's how I work. You should just create the pool and get it over with. Indulge my desires and make me happy. It's your job as wife."

Regina burst out laughing. "Come on." She held out her hand, which Emma reluctantly took. Regina led them into the basement and shut off all of the lights. The darkness surrounded them both, keeping the room cool.

"Better?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded, and then realized that Regina couldn't see her. "Yes, that's better. Being in the dark is a lot cooler than being in the sun."

"Good," Regina said. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go grab a fan from upstairs."

"Wait, just use your magic," Emma said. "You could literally summon as many fans as you want just from sitting on the couch."

Regina sighed. "Magic isn't-"

"A toy, I know," Emma interrupted, rolling her eyes. "But come on. Just indulge yourself a little bit without doing things the hard way. Take the easy way out for once and just use magic."

"And they say I'm the bad influence," Regina mumbled. She waved her hand, poofing several fans into the room blowing large amounts of cold air onto both of the women.

"Thank goodness," Emma said, turning completely to face the cold air.

Regina laughed. "You are so dramatic. It's just cold air."

"I'll gladly take being dramatic over being overheated," Emma countered. "Besides, doesn't it feel good to use your magic for something other than saving people?"

"I suppose," Regina said.

"Oh don't even," Emma teased, nudging her lightly. "I know that you loved getting to use your magic. It's been awhile since we've had the chance to go after anyone."

"Which isn't a bad thing," Regina said.

"But?" Emma prompted.

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes affectionately. "Fine. It felt great to use my magic again, even for a small purpose."

Emma smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard to admit."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't make me fireball you."


	296. Day 296: Impatiently Waiting

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Emma is impatiently waiting for the second half of her favorite season to start and is driving Regina insane."**

"What's wrong?" Regina asked.

"It's not on yet," Emma said. "I have to wait 4 months for it to come back. Do you know how long that is? That's a lot of days!"

"I don't understand," Regina said. "What are you waiting for?"

"The second half of the season of 'Miami Murders', duh," Emma said. "Only the best show ever written and put on television."

Regina rolled her eyes. "That show is ridiculous."

Miami Murders was a crime show about a woman named Miami, which Regina thought was a ridiculous name for anyone, who went around the world and killed the people she was assigned to. Emma loved the show from a crime-fighting perspective, and it kept her entertained. But the seasons were in two parts, and now it was off until March.

"It is not," Emma argued. "You just don't appreciate the crime aspect of it. Trust me, it's a huge loss to the cable companies that they only air half of a season at a time."

"The actors need breaks here and there," Regina said. "Besides, while you're waiting, you can actually have a life again. Go outside with our son."

"That's not the same as watching people get chased by a bad-ass and then shot," Emma said. "I can't exactly do that with Henry."

"He has video games," Regina said. "Most of them are of that nature thanks to you. Play those with him."

"I think I'm just going to sit in the living room for a little longer and mourn," Emma said. "Today was the end of the first half of the season."

Regina rolled her eyes as Emma left the room. And people thought she was the dramatic one.

* * *

"Will you stop it?" Regina asked, snatching the remote away from Emma.

"There's nothing good on," Emma protested. "The only good show isn't on right now because they have to film. What kind of a BS excuse is that?"

"An accurate one," Regina said. "They do have to film. It's only been a month. They have the rest of the season to finish. Be patient."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but being patient isn't exactly a strong suit of mine," Emma said.

"I've noticed," Regina said. "If there's one thing I've noticed this past month it's how impatient you are when it comes to TV shows being off air."

"They could just film it all at once," Emma pouted. "That would make things so much easier."

"Just hang in there," Regina said, patting Emma's leg. "Now stop pouting and let's find something to watch."

* * *

By the final month of the show being off air, Emma was driving Regina insane. She had several calendars counting down the days, and wouldn't stop talking about how excited she was for it to come back.

Regina just wanted the show to come back just to make Emma stop talking about it.

"You look like you want to fireball something," Emma said. "Or someone."

"Try someone," Regina said.

"Who would you want to fireball?" Emma asked. "You've been getting so better at resisting it!"

"Because you are driving me insane with all of your talk about this show," Regina said. "I love you, but you have been making me crazy ever since it went off air. Maybe you need an intervention of some kind."

"I don't need an intervention," Emma said. "The show will be on soon and then everything will be fine."

"Or maybe not," Henry said, walking into the living room with his phone. "You may want to look at this." He handed his phone to Emma before backing away.

"What?" Emma asked. "How could they do this?"

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"They cancelled the show!" Emma exclaimed. "Something about low viewings and wanting to focus on the shows that are bringing in audiences. They cancelled it right after the first half of the season. Can they do that?"

"Unfortunately," Henry said. "It's their decision what they keep and get rid of for shows. This one didn't make the cut."

Emma sighed before giving him his phone back. "Well. Guess I have to find a new show now."

Regina just groaned and flopped back against the couch cushion.


	297. Day 297: Pet Names

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Emma tries to come up with an endearing pet name for Regina, each of which fail miserably."**

 **To get these nicknames I went to a website and picked the ones that I could just picture Regina fireballing Emma for. Enjoy :)**

Emma glanced across the diner at Ruby and Dorothy. They looked so happy together, something that only True Love could inspire within two people. Emma knew how that felt.

"Earth to Emma Swan," Regina teased, lightly kicking her under the table to get her attention. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma said. "Just got lost in my thoughts."

"What thoughts?" Regina asked.

"Nothing," Emma said. "You'll just think I'm being dumb and will probably hate the idea anyway."

"Try me," Regina challenged.

Emma smiled. "Fine. Ruby and Dorothy have pet names for each other. It's endearing in a way, and I thought that we could try it."

"Pet names?" Regina asked.

"You know, they call each other Kansas and Wolfie," Emma said. "That kind of thing."

Regina laughed. "So we're going off of that? What, I call you Savior and you call me Majesty?"

"Very funny," Emma said, slapping her hand lightly. "I'm serious."

"Fine," Regina said. "Try as many as you want to throughout the week and I'll either say yes or no. Deal?"

Emma smiled. "Deal."

* * *

The first time Emma went to use a nickname was at dinner. Henry and Emma were having their usual burgers from Granny's, while Regina of course had a salad. She refused to eat anything on takeout night, especially from Granny's.

Emma looked at her thoughtfully. "Bunny."

Regina looked at Emma before laughing. "What?"

"Pet name," Emma said. "Bunny. You eat vegetables like a bunny does."

Regina shook her head. "No. Not going to happen. That would be like calling you Tiger because you eat a lot of meat."

Henry coughed as he choked on his water. Emma glared at him. "Don't encourage her."

"Sorry but that was way too good," Henry said, high-fiving Regina.

"Fine," Emma said. "Bunny is out. I'll just have to keep thinking."

* * *

Throughout the next week Emma went through Cuddle Bug, Cupcake, Daisy, Darling, Kitten, and Muffin before Regina had had enough.

"This is getting ridiculous," Regina said. "None of these pet names throughout the past week have made any sense whatsoever when said about me."

"I know," Emma said. "And it's not fair because you literally came up with mine on the first try."

"All I did was shorten your name," Regina said. "You could go that route instead of trying to think of something totally out there."

Emma sighed. "Okay. I can do that. What about Re?"

Regina made a face. "That sounds too girly."

"You were a queen," Emma said. "How could you not be okay with a nickname being girly?"

Regina shrugged. Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Okay. How about Gina?"

Regina pursed her lips as she thought about it. "I like that."

"You do?" Emma asked excitedly. "You finally like one of them?"

Regina laughed. "I guess I do."

 **Since I didn't mention Emma's nickname, in my mind it was Ems. Now you guys know the origin of Gina!**


	298. Day 298: Burn

**Guys I'm so dumb. I was at work last night and took a pan out of the oven with a mitt on, but it moved slightly when I set it down so I grabbed it with my other hand that didn't have a mitt. Yay 2nd degree burns.**

Emma sighed as she walked to the break room in the station. For once Storybrooke had a normal case, and it wasn't pretty. Turns out a lot of people from the Land of Untold Stories had issues with people in Storybrooke and were going after them.

A murder had finally taken place, and Emma and David were working day and night to figure out which newcomer had done it. The problem was that none of them were in the database because they weren't in the town. More people were coming in then David and Emma could keep up with.

Rubbing her hands over her eyes, Emma grabbed the coffee pot to refill her cup. Throughout the past 24 hours neither she nor David had gotten any sleep and had gone through several pots of coffee.

Not keeping track of the coffee, Emma didn't register the burning on her skin until the coffee was all over the place and her hand.

"Ow, ow, ow," Emma said, setting down the cup and quickly putting her hand under cold water. It was quickly turning bright red, and Emma could tell that she would be in big trouble if Regina found out.

"Are you alright?" David asked, walking into the break room. He looked at the mess that Emma had made before chuckling and grabbing napkins to clean everything up. "Only you."

Emma smiled sheepishly before turning off the water and drying her hand off. "Do we have any burn ointment?"

"In the cupboard over there," David said, nodding towards the microwave. Emma went over and opened the cupboard, taking out the First Aid kit and grabbing bandages and burn ointment.

"Tell Regina about this and you're dead," Emma threatened, spreading the ointment over her skin.

"Duly noted," David said, throwing away all of the paper towels soaked with coffee. "Just be more careful from now on. Maybe you should go home for a bit."

"I will if you will," Emma challenged.

David smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll see you back out there."

Emma concentrated back on her hand. "That's what I thought."

* * *

Regina walked into the station the next morning and immediately noticed Emma's hand. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing," Emma said quickly, dropping her hand into her lap. "Just had a little mishap last night. Nothing to be concerned about."

"Your hand is wrapped up," Regina said. "How am I not supposed to be concerned about that?"

"I just got some coffee on my hand," Emma said. "It's not that big of a deal, trust me. I took care of it."

Regina held out her hand. "Let me see."

Emma sighed before giving Regina her burnt hand. There was no use arguing. Regina carefully peeled off the bandages covering Emma's hand and tsked at the red skin covered with blisters. "These are 2nd degree burns."

Emma shrugged. "I've had worse."

Regina sighed before waving her free hand over Emma's. The blisters glowed purple before disappearing completely. "There. All fixed. No more painful blisters."

"Thanks," Emma said, pulling her hand back. "Did you need something, or did you find something on the case?"

"I did," Regina said. "Recent evidence shows that you need to come home and actually get some sleep."

Emma sighed. "You know I can't do that. We're surviving just fine on coffee-"

"And how's that working out for you?" Regina asked, looking at Emma's hand.

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "We need to find this person."

"And you will," Regina said. "But hurting yourself because of sleep deprivation is not going to help anyone. Least of all yourself."

David watched them both before sighing and sleeping his computer. Emma looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"If I don't leave, you never will," David said. "Regina is right. We should go home."

Emma sighed before sleeping her computer and standing up. Regina grabbed her hand before pulling her out of the office, mouthing a "Thank You" back towards David.

"Now then," Regina said. "Time to get some sleep."


	299. Day 299: Cosplay

**This chapter is for AlphaLuna87 with the prompt: "Emma convinces Regina to go to Comic-Con with her and Henry. What they cosplay as is up to you."**

It had been Emma's idea to go to the Comic-Con in San Diego, the biggest one throughout the nation. Explaining what it was to Regina was a bit of a chore and slightly awkward, but she had eventually agreed.

Henry had been more than excited when Emma had told him what they were doing, and had insisted that he got to pick what they cosplayed as. Regina and Emma agreed.

Using magic and sewing skills that Emma didn't know Regina possessed, 3 costumes were made and ready to be worn. They packed everything up in Emma's bug, the nonofficial travel car, and headed out of town.

As they crossed the town line, Emma and Regina both shuddered as they felt the magic leave their bodies. "I will never get used to that," Emma said.

"What does it feel like?" Henry asked.

"Like all of your energy being drained," Regina said. "And then you feel slightly empty for a little bit before your body gets used to being without magic."

Henry leaned back in his seat. "That sounds...not fun."

Emma laughed. "It's fine kid. It doesn't affect me like it does your mom. I'm more used to being out in the non-magic world so my body doesn't mind."

"So how does your body get used to it?" Henry asked.

Emma glanced over at Regina who was fast asleep. "Like that."

* * *

After roughly 49 hours and 54 minutes, the family arrived in San Diego. They checked into their hotel before unpacking all of their supplies and getting dressed. Suits were put on, as well as wigs for Emma and Regina.

Since Regina had the better makeup skills, she did her own and then Emma's, wrapping up their costumes with a bow.

"So how exactly does this work?" Regina asked.

"We go into a large building with thousands of other people and take pictures, get autographs, and a bunch of other really cool stuff," Emma said.

"I hate crowds," Regina said.

"You'll be fine," Emma said. "Henry and I will be with you the whole entire time, and I can guarantee that you'll have fun."

"Can we go now?" Henry asked. "It starts in 10 minutes and I have a lot that I want to do today."

Emma laughed. "Sure. Let's get going."

* * *

Regina and Emma ended up taking pictures with about everyone they came in contact with. Everyone came up to them wanting pictures and freaking out over their costumes. Henry had run off with a group of kids his age, and was currently in a panel with the celebrities from his favorite TV show.

"I can't believe how many people are here," Regina said.

"Or how many people are fans of the same things," Emma said. "Although this wig is really starting to bother me."

"Red hair suits you," Regina said. "Besides, at least you're not showing as much skin."

"Yes because I totally mind seeing so much bare skin from you," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Alright Black Widow, calm down."

Emma laughed. "Says Wonder Woman."

"Where's Batman?" Regina asked. "Their panel just got out, and the day is almost over. We should head back to the hotel."

"I'm Batman," Henry said in his best impression voice, causing Regina and Emma to burst out laughing.

"All right Batman," Regina said. "Let's go."

"Did you have fun today?" Emma asked, wrapping her arm around Henry's shoulders.

"Of course!" Henry said. "I met lots of cool people and celebrities. We should do this every year as different characters."

Emma smiled mischievously. "Next year we do Disney."


	300. Day 300: Award Show

**Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was super busy with homework and then the Oscars were on and that was more important lol. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Regina said, handing Emma the large bowl of popcorn that she had just made. "It's just a show where celebrities get rewarded for doing well with their jobs."

"It's an award for being the best in your field," Emma said. "It's actually a huge honor to win one of these. It means that you're the best of the year."

"But isn't it their job to be the best anyway?" Regina asked.

Henry groaned. "You're overthinking this. They get an award for it and it inspires them to keep doing well. Plus it inspires everyone hoping to be an actor someday to win one themselves."

Regina sighed. "I don't understand this world."

"And you never will," Emma said, chuckling. "Trust me, it only gets more confusing from here. There's also awards just for TV shows and music."

"Why?" Regina asked.

"Same reason," Emma said. "Inspiration and the encouragement to continue going after your passions."

"Okay shush," Henry said. "It's starting!"

"Did you just shush your mothers?" Regina asked.

Henry smiled sheepishly. "I love you."

Regina and Emma laughed. The family fell into a comfortable silence as the Oscars began, starting out with awards right away.

"I haven't seen a lot of these movies," Regina said. "Does that mean we should see them?"

Emma nodded. "Depending on what ones win. The ones that win the most are probably your best bet for a good movie to watch."

"Unless they leave out the good movies and put in ones that don't deserve all of their nominations," Henry grumbled.

"True," Emma said. She nudged Regina gently before pointing to Henry. "Be careful of that one. He has very strong opinions."

Regina laughed. "Wonder who he got that from."

"Neal," Emma said. "Definitely Neal."

Henry and Regina both laughed. "As if," Henry said. "If I got it from either of you, it was totally you Ma. You have pretty strong opinions."

"I do not," Emma protested. She turned her attention back to the show just as the award for Best Original Song was being awarded.

Emma and Henry both groaned at the winner, and Regina just laughed at their responses. "What's so wrong with this soundtrack?"

"It's not catchy," Emma said. "You need to have a movie that has music that people want to sing in the car. I don't want to sing this music in the car, or at all."

"Yeah, definitely not opinionated at all," Henry said.

Emma reached forward and ruffled his hair, earning the protest that she was looking for. Henry smoothed down his hair before grabbing a handful of popcorn and throwing it at Emma, surprisingly not getting any on Regina.

"Now you're asking for it," Emma said, picking the popcorn out of her hair. "You better run."

"You don't scare me," Henry scoffed, eating a handful of popcorn.

Regina chuckled. "That's enough, both of you. Eat your popcorn in peace and enjoy the show, otherwise I'll turn it off and get rid of the snacks."

Henry and Emma both turned their attention back to the TV, every once in a while glancing at each other.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I swear I have two children."

"You know you love me," Emma said, leaning over to kiss Regina on the cheek.

"I do," Regina agreed. "Now shush and watch your show. It looks like they're about to announce Best Picture."

Henry and Emma both leaned forward towards the TV, waiting anxiously to see who would win. There was only one movie that they didn't want to win, so they were supporting every other movie.

Once the winner was announced, Emma and Henry both groaned and sat back. Of course the only one they hadn't wanted to win had actually won.

"Well, that's a wrap," Emma said, standing up and brushing more popcorn off of her. "Guess we're stuck with-"

"Ma look!" Henry exclaimed, pointing at the TV. "The announcer had the wrong card! That's not the movie that won!"

"No way," Emma said. "That hasn't happened before, has it?"

"I don't know, all I know is that an actual deserving movie won the title!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina sighed as Emma and Henry high-fived. "So opinionated."

 **For those of you who didn't watch the Oscars, there was a mix up with the award for Best Picture, and my reaction was literally Henry and Emma. I hated La La Land. As a person who loves musicals, I was disappointed. I haven't seen "Moonlight" but I'm glad they won!**


	301. Day 301: Divorce?

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Regina and Emma have a fight (you can choose why) Ava witnesses their fight, and she's afraid that they going to divorce and she's have to go back (or something like that)."**

 **Ok so real quick note: I'm trying to get away from using the Swan-Mills universe just so that I have more material to use with them in later stories. If you have any prompts concerning them, PM them to me and I'll consider using them.**

 **As for this chapter, I really liked the prompt but I'm going to tweak it a bit and make Henry the one concerned just to get rid of the Swan-Mills aspect. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Magic is not that hard, why can't you grasp the simple concept of lighting a fireball?" Regina asked impatiently. She had been trying for several hours to help Emma with her magic, and so far it was nothing but infuriating for both women.

"Easy for you to say," Emma snapped back. "You've been doing magic for years before I was. And you didn't have the added pressure of being the Savior."

"Stop using that excuse," Regina said. "You just haven't been practicing and that's why you're not getting any better."

"I have too!" Emma protested. "Maybe you're just a bad teacher."

"Would you like me to teach you like how Rumple taught me?" Regina asked. "I'm sure there's something around here that I could use to mentally torture you. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not the best teacher."

"You could try being nicer," Emma mumbled.

"Coddling you isn't going to help you," Regina said. "All that's going to teach you is how to rely on someone else to help you every time you have to cast a spell. Magic is an independent art."

"Independent art?" Emma asked. "You make it sound as if there's no emotions at all."

Regina shrugged. "Emotions get in the way of a successful spell. They make it unstable and weak."

"Now you sound like your mother," Emma said.

Regina stepped back and looked as if she had been slapped in the face. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing," Emma said quickly. She was mentally backpedaling. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she knew that she had just made a major mistake. One that probably couldn't be fixed.

"No, you said that I sounded like my mother," Regina said. "How could you? You know how I feel about her, and now you're using her as a weapon against me?"

"I didn't mean to," Emma said. "Regina-"

"Save it," Regina said. She wrapped her arms around herself before brushing past Emma to leave the room. She stopped in the doorway and took a deep breath. "I think you should stay with your parents for a while. I'll poof your stuff to their apartment. They can give you some emotions."

Emma winced at Regina's last words and went to respond, but Regina was already gone. Sighing in defeat, she poofed herself to her parents' apartment. There was no use arguing.

* * *

It had been a month since Regina had kicked Emma out of the mansion and poofed all of her stuff to her parents' place. Emma enjoyed seeing them and being around them and baby Neal, but she missed her wife. And Henry.

Henry had texted a couple times throughout the month, but mainly stayed away from her. She had no doubt that Regina had filled him in on what had happened, and that was why he barely acknowledged her existence.

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She had called and texted Regina several times to apologize, but each time she got the same response. Regina wasn't ready to have her back at home yet.

"I'm so stupid," Emma said angrily, hitting the counter with her fist.

"You really are," a voice said from outside of the apartment door.

Emma jumped at the sound before walking over and opening it. "Kid, what are you doing here?"

"Are you and Mom getting a divorce?" Henry asked. "Because I don't want you to. You're True Loves, which means that you're supposed to be together forever and I don't want to have to go back and forth again like when I was younger because I love you both and don't want to split my time and it's so much nicer when you're together because then you're both happy and-"

"Henry, breathe," Emma said, chuckling. "Relax. This has gone on long enough. I'm gonna go talk to her, whether she wants to see me or not."

"She does," Henry said. "She's just too stubborn to admit it."

"Sounds like her," Emma said. "Don't worry. I'll make this right."

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked as soon as she opened the front door.

"I'm pretty sure that I live here with my wife and our son," Emma said.

Regina sighed. "Emma-"

"I can't do this anymore," Emma said. "I can't be away from you any longer because it physically pains me not to sleep by you every night or sit by you on the couch after we both had a really long day at work. I know that what I said is unforgivable, and you can hold it over my head for the rest of our lives, but please just let me come home."

Regina bit her lip as she thought about it. "I have missed you too. It's not the same without you here, and I know that I can speak for both myself and Henry when I say that you've been terribly missed."

"So I can come home?" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina smiled and nodded. "Please come home."


	302. Day 302: Take What's Yours

**So I still have a bruise on my arm and blisters from my burns. I'm falling apart. Anyway, this chapter is for KlaineLoverFan525 with a prompt based on the meme between Regina and Katherine. If you want to see what I'm talking about, Google "swan queen meme take what's yours and leave" and find the one with Regina and Katherine on it.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Regina was getting sick and tired of Emma never being home. She had only been living in the mansion for a couple weeks, and had spent half of that time in the station. David didn't spend that much time there.

There were really two problems with Emma being gone so much. One, Regina missed her. As infuriating as this was to admit to herself, Regina craved Emma's presence and just wanted to be around her.

The second problem was that with Emma being gone all day and coming home later and later, Regina started to doubt herself. Did Emma realize what she had gotten herself into and didn't want to deal with Regina anymore? Had she changed her mind and was seeing Hook in secret instead?

Basically, Regina needed Emma home. But Emma, for some reason unknown to Regina, was insistent that she needed to spend this much time at the station.

Regina glanced over at the clock and sighed as she saw what time it was. This was the latest night so far, at a staggering 3:30 in the morning. Why she was still up, Regina had no idea. But she wanted to get things straightened out.

The front door finally opened, and Regina stretched and yawned before getting out of her chair in the living room and heading out to the foyer. She flipped the lamp on by the coat rack, making Emma jump at the sudden light.

"You're still up," Emma said in surprise.

"Am I not supposed to be?" Regina asked. "Am I not supposed to be worried about what you're really doing that's keeping you out so late?"

Emma sighed. "Regina, I'm working on a case. That's all."

"Really?" Regina asked. "So if this case is so important, why isn't David staying late as well to help you with it?"

"He has his own things to worry about," Emma mumbled.

"His own things to worry about?" Regina asked. "So, what I'm getting from you is that you're fake-working on a case really late at night because you don't want to be with me any more and would rather push me away instead of just telling me. Sound right?"

"I don't want to argue with you right now," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair and yawning. "It's super late. Early actually. We both need sleep."

"Agreed," Regina said. "However, you will be doing it in a place that is not here."

"What?" Emma asked. "Are you kicking me out?"

"You barely live here anyway," Regina said. "You might as well go back to living either with your parents or at the hotel."

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked. "Because you can't accept that my job has me away from you and that makes you insecure?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma, who smiled triumphantly. "I knew it. You really believe that I'm just going to leave, so you're helping me along. Taking the easy way out."

"If you think this is easy, you don't know me at all," Regina said coldly. "Take what's yours and leave."

Emma shrugged. "Fine." She stepped forward and bent down, wrapping her arms around Regina legs and gently lifting her up over her shoulder.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed. "Put me down!"

Emma didn't respond, just opened the front door and walked outside, making sure to not hit Regina's head on the doorframe.

"Emma Swan, put me down this instant," Regina hissed.

"Okay," Emma said, setting Regina down inside her bug.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "You told me to take what's mine and leave. So I did."

Regina's jaw dropped. "You-"

"I love you, and you are mine," Emma said strongly. "I'm not going to run off, or suddenly decide that I can't handle your past and what you've done. I know all that. I know everything and I still love you."

"Then why are you gone all the time?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. "The case that I'm working hits a little too close to home. There's a little girl from the Land of Untold Stories that is looking for her family from the Enchanted Forest."

"Oh," Regina said softly.

"Yeah," Emma said. "Only problem is, the parents that she's looking for have died. Here. In Storybrooke. She was trapped so long there that her parents grew old and ended up dying of old age in this world."

Regina slowly got out of the bug and wrapped her arms around Emma. "So what are you going to do?"

"I've been spending every day trying to find a family for her," Emma said. "But every family that I talk to don't want another mouth to feed, especially from an unknown world. That's why I've been out so late. I need to find a home for this little girl."

"I'm sorry for being so selfish," Regina said. "I never should have doubted you. You're doing a wonderful thing by helping this little girl find a home."

"I don't want her to feel like I did," Emma said. "Like she doesn't belong anywhere."

"Does she have any other family?" Regina asked. "Maybe there was a sibling that would take her in until you can find her someone."

Emma shook her head. "After her parents lost her, they didn't want any more children."

Regina sighed and kissed the top of Emma's head. "We'll figure something out."

Emma pulled away from Regina slightly and looked at her in confusion. "We?"

"You're not doing this alone anymore," Regina said. "We're a team, Emma. We solve problems together. Always have, and always will."

"Okay," Emma said, kissing Regina. "So, does this mean that I don't have to leave?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Just don't ever pick me up again."


	303. Day 303: Well Saved

**You guys are gonna be so proud of this chapter title. We're going to back to Season Two ladies and gentlemen, so who remembers the scene where Regina saves Emma and Snow from the well? Get the chapter title now? Get it?**

* * *

Regina walked slowly around the house. She had sent Henry home with Emma and Snow, not really wanting to argue with her son. She was tired. Almost dangerously so.

Taking in the magic from the well had left her utterly exhausted. That much magic in one person's system was an overload, causing it to shut down. She had tried to use magic to poof herself home, but only ended up making it to Main Street and having to walk the rest of the way.

She didn't regret saving Emma, if she was honest with herself she had planned on doing it anyway. But she needed to keep up the appearance that she didn't care about the sheriff or her mother or things could get complicated.

After all, why would the Savior have feelings for the Evil Queen?

Just as Regina was about to reach her bedroom, the doorbell rang. She groaned. The last time someone had come to her door, there had been an angry mob waiting to kill her after the curse had broken. Not a fun time.

Since she still didn't have any energy, it took her longer than usual to get down to the front door. She thought that the person would have left by then, but opening the door revealed that to not be the case. There stood Emma Swan, looking as if she needed to get something off of her chest.

"Miss Swan," Regina greeted. "So nice to have you back in my town."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Emma said awkwardly. "You didn't have to bring us back at all. But you did."

Regina shrugged. "Henry believed in you, so I chose to as well. He wanted you both to be back, so I did what I could."

"And you brought us back just for Henry?" Emma asked. "Not anyone else?"

"Who else would there be?" Regina asked. "I didn't see anyone else showing up at the well begging for your lives."

As she was talking, Regina felt her head spin. She grabbed the doorframe to keep herself steady, hoping that Emma hadn't noticed. But she wasn't the sheriff for no reason.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, reaching out a hand to steady her. "You look like you're about to fall over."

"I used a lot of magic and absorbed even more today," Regina said. "It took a little more out of me than I thought that it would."

"Do you need any help?" Emma asked in concern.

"I'm quite alright by myself," Regina said. "I just need some rest and I should be good as new tomorrow morning." She pushed herself off of the doorframe and stepped to shut the door, but her knees slightly buckled and she had to lean on the door to keep from falling down.

"You are not alright by yourself," Emma said stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Regina's waist. "You can barely stand on your own."

Regina reluctantly leaned on Emma, accepting the support that she offered. "You know, the last time we were like this you were saving me from a burning building."

Emma laughed. "That was an interesting night."

"You're telling me," Regina said.

"Where to?" Emma asked.

"You are not helping me all the way upstairs," Regina said. "I can manage to climb the stairs by myself."

"You also said you would be fine by yourself and then almost fell over," Emma said sarcastically.

Regina rolled her eyes. "And your point is?"

"That I'm helping you whether you like it or not," Emma said. "So, where to?"

Regina sighed. "Upstairs. Last door on the right is my bedroom."

Emma nodded and gently closed the front door with her foot before helping Regina up the stairs and to her bedroom. Once they got there, Emma sat on the bed and waited while Regina got changed. She listened carefully for any thuds in case Regina fell over.

Regina opened the door to the bathroom and stepped out, looking in surprise at Emma. "You're still here."

"Of course I'm still here," Emma said. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm not going to hurt myself," Regina said, walking slowly to the bed and sitting down carefully.

Emma looked at her and laughed. "Uh huh. Just keep walking at a snail's pace and you'll be perfectly fine."

Regina rolled her eyes before getting under the covers. "Now that I'm safely in bed, you can save someone else."

"No way," Emma said, standing up and walking over to a chair and curling up in it. "I'm gonna stay right here. What if you stop breathing in the middle of the night? We don't know what that extra magic might have done to you."

Regina looked at Emma with narrowed eyes. "Are you making up excuses to stay?"

Emma just smiled. "Go to sleep. I'll be here to revive you if your heart stops."

"How comforting," Regina mumbled before falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Regina slowly opened her eyes. She felt a million times better, and it felt like her magic was back to normal.

The night before was a slight blur due to her lack of energy, but everything came rushing back as she looked across the room and saw Emma fast asleep in the same chair as the night before. She hadn't left.

As if sensing that Regina was awake, Emma's eyes slowly opened. She looked around the room as if confused as to where she was before her eyes landed on Regina and she smiled. "Morning."

"Good morning," Regina said. "How was your night in the chair?"

"Not too bad," Emma said. "How're you feeling?"

Regina smiled. "Better than I have in a long time."


	304. Day 304: Walls Part 1

_Emma looked around the white space that she was in. Why was she here? What was going on? Where were Regina and Henry?_

" _Well look who finally showed up," the Evil Queen taunted as she came into view. "So nice to see you, Savior."_

" _What do you want?" Emma asked._

" _For you to make a choice," the Evil Queen said. "How badly do you really want to get rid of me? Enough to kill your wife?"_

" _No," Emma said. "I could never hurt Regina."_

 _The Evil Queen chuckled. "Don't be so sure. What if your son was threatened?"_

" _Leave Henry alone," Emma growled._

" _Oh I'm not going to do anything to him," the Evil Queen said. She waved her hand, bringing Henry and Regina into the scene. Emma went to run to them, but found that her feet were stuck to the ground._

" _You won't be moving anywhere," the Evil Queen said, chuckling. "Here's how this is going to work. I know that in your heart you love one of these two more than the other. You know it too. So, on the count of three, you're going to say the name of the person who I'm going to rip the heart out of."_

" _But if you rip out Regina's heart, you die too," Emma said._

 _The Evil Queen smiled. "Guess we're about to find out if you'd rather get rid of me or save your wife."_

 _Emma's heart began to race. How in the world would she be able to choose? The temptation to get rid of the Evil Queen was so strong, but then she would lose Regina. But wouldn't doing that save not only Henry, but also the whole town?_

" _One," the Evil Queen said._

" _Wait, I need more time to decide," Emma pleaded._

" _Welcome to life," the Evil Queen taunted. "Savior."_

" _You're asking me to choose between my wife and son," Emma said. "Why do you think I can just make this decisions on the fly?"_

" _Two," the Evil Queen said. "Better make up your mind fast."_

 _Emma looked back and forth between Regina and Henry. They looked blank-faced, but both of their eyes looked into Emma's soul. She couldn't choose between them._

" _Time's up," the Evil Queen said. "Three. Make your choice."_

 _Emma's eyes began to tear up. She didn't know what to do. "I can't make this choice. I can't."_

" _You're weak," the Evil Queen hissed. "And as much as I would like to live, I guess I can leave a legacy behind of being the one to finally break the Savior." Before Emma could say anything, the Evil Queen reached forward and ripped out Regina's heart._

" _Please don't do this," Emma pleaded. "She just wanted to be a better person. She set you free."_

" _Her mistake," the Evil Queen said. Without blinking an eye, she crushed Regina's heart, and they both fell to the floor._

* * *

"No!" Emma screamed, sitting bolt upright. Regina jolted awake, her magic instantly putting a barrier around the room for protection.

Emma looked around the room in a panic. She had to get out of here. The Evil Queen could be lurking around, waiting to strike. Emma had to get away from Regina and Henry before she took them and made her choose.

Regina flicked her wrist, turning on all of the lights in the room at a low setting. She looked over at Emma and almost gasped. Her hair was crazy, her green eyes were misty with tears, her cheeks were stained with tear tracks, and her body was covered in sweat.

"Hey," Regina said softly. "Emma. Look at me."

"I'm fine," Emma said, taking deep breaths and calming down her breathing. "Just one of the usual ones."

Regina took down the barrier around the room before sitting up to be at the same level as Emma. "That was not one of your usual ones. Your usual ones just leave you a little panicked. You just screamed."

"I'm fine," Emma repeated. "I think I'm going to shower since I'm all sweaty now. I'll be back."

Regina nodded and lay back down. Emma got out of bed and went to the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind her before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She reached over and turned on the water before poofing new clothes onto herself and getting rid of the sweat covering her body.

"Thank goodness for magic," Emma whispered. She left the water running before poofing herself out of the bathroom and to the driveway. Not wanting to alert Regina to her escape, Emma put her bug in neutral before letting it roll out of the driveway and onto the street. She turned it, and then began to push it down the street.

"Did you really think I would fall for the shower trick?" Regina asked, stepping out from the shadows. She had even made an effort to dress in her usual clothes instead of her pajamas.

"Maybe," Emma mumbled.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Push the car back into the driveway. I don't know why you're leaving."

"I have my reasons," Emma said. "And now that you're aware as to what I'm doing, I can just drive."

"Does this have something to do with the nightmare you had?" Regina asked. "Is that why you're suddenly deciding to leave?"

"I need to keep you and Henry safe," Emma said.

"That's not a very descriptive answer," Regina said. She studied Emma closely, making Emma squirm slightly under her gaze. "Why are your walls up? They're never up with me."

"The less you know, the better," Emma said. "I need to go."

"Why?" Regina asked. "What could possibly happen to Henry and I that has you thinking that you need to leave to protect us?"

Emma bit her lip. "I can't tell you."

"Emma, you let your walls come down a long time ago with me," Regina said. "Just because you think you're protecting me doesn't mean you are. Especially when protecting me is hurting you."

"I'm fine," Emma said.

"You're also a liar," Regina countered. "I don't need a superpower to see that."

Emma crossed her arms. "I don't know why you're so determined to figure out what's going on. Just let it go. Let me protect you."

"If I let you go right now, you would carry the weight of the world on your shoulders without anyone to help you," Regina said softly.

Emma looked down at her feet. "That's-"

"Don't you dare say that's not true," Regina interrupted. "Because we both know it is."

"Fine, you're right," Emma said. "But that doesn't mean that I have to tell you why I'm leaving. I can't tell you. You're just going to have to trust me."

"And you're going to have to trust me when I say that I can't let you leave," Regina said. "You have to tell me what's going on, please. Let me help you."

"I can't tell you," Emma said.

"Why?" Regina demanded.

"Because she's going to come after you!" Emma said. She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, not wanting to let anything else slip.

"She?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head and went to get in her bug, but Regina magically glued her feet to the ground. "No running. Please."

"She's going to get you and Henry and make me choose which of you to kill," Emma whispered. "I can't make that choice again."

"Again?" Regina asked. Her eyes widened as she put the pieces together. "Your nightmare."

Emma nodded. "I had to choose which of you to kill and when I wouldn't kill either of you she killed you herself."

"But then didn't she die?" Regina asked.

"She said it was worth the price," Emma said. "I have to go. I need to stay away from you and Henry so she can't get to you and create in real life what my dream was like."

Regina stepped forward and grabbed Emma's hands, still not letting the magic on Emma's feet go. "You do not have to go anywhere and do not have to do this alone. I would rather die than be separated from you out of fear."

Emma shook her head. "I can't let you die, and that's why I'm afraid. I could be the cause of your death."

"It was a dream," Regina said gently. "That doesn't mean that it's going to happen. And if it does happen, that doesn't mean that it's going to happen like it did in that dream."

"I don't want the dream to happen at all which is why I'm leaving," Emma said strongly.

Regina sighed. "You are so stubborn."

"So does that mean that you'll let go of the magic on my feet and let me leave?" Emma asked.

Regina flicked her wrist, knocking Emma out. She caught her before poofing them back inside the house and returning the bug to the driveway. "Not at all," she said, setting Emma down on their bed. "You're going to hate me for awhile when you wake up, but you're just going to have to trust me."

 **This was getting too long, so I decided to break it up. See you tomorrow!**


	305. Day 305: Walls Part 2

Emma opened her eyes and looked around the room. Why was she back in the bedroom? The last thing she remembered was trying to leave town and then...nothing. What had happened?

She sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She went to get out of bed, but found that she couldn't move her legs. Eyes widening, Emma tried to move. She could feel her legs, but for some reason they weren't moving.

"You're awake," Regina said, walking in with a tray full of food. "I was worried you weren't ever going to wake up."

"Did you do this?" Emma asked, pointing at her legs.

Regina nodded. "Couldn't have you trying to run away again."

Suddenly everything came rushing back. Regina trying to get everything out of her, and then she had tried to leave. Just as she was getting hopeful that Regina would let her go…

"You knocked me out?" Emma asked.

"I had to," Regina said. "You were being unreasonable and I couldn't have you creating a scene in the middle of the night. I figured we could talk when you woke up."

"I can't believe you used your magic on me," Emma said.

Regina winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to. But something was clearly going on and I wasn't about to let you leave feeling like you had to otherwise something would happen to Henry and I."

"The dream," Emma said softly. "I was trying to leave to protect you and Henry."

"So you keep saying," Regina said, sitting on the side of the bed. "And you told me about the dream. But that still doesn't explain why you think leaving is the way to go."

"Sometimes running is easier," Emma said. "If I'm not anywhere near you, I can protect you. She'll come after me alone instead of using you two to get to me."

"You are not going to use yourself as bait," Regina said strongly.

Emma shrugged. "If it brings her to me so I can kill her, then I'll do that willingly."

"You cannot put yourself in harm's way just to take her down, and you certainly don't need to leave because of her," Regina said. "Isn't that just letting her win?"

"No," Emma said quickly.

"Why would she even come after me?" Regina asked. "We're connected. If I hurt myself in any way, she hurts too. That's how this works."

"That didn't stop her in the dream," Emma whispered.

"Emma, the Evil Queen in your dream was a figment of your subconscious," Regina said gently. "You only know the side of her that would do anything to see her plan completed. Trust me, she's not going to kill me to make you hurt. That would risk her own life."

Emma's eyes widened. "But she would go after Henry. You have to go check on him. Right now."

"Henry is fine," Regina said soothingly. "Stop giving yourself anxiety over nothing. I sent him to Snow and David's and put a barrier around the place. The only people that can get in or out are you and I. They can't even leave."

"She _is_ you," Emma said frantically, struggling against the magical hold that Regina had on her legs. "If you can get in, so can she. She could be there right now."

"She isn't," Regina said, putting her hands on Emma's shoulders to stop her struggling and get her attention. "There's an alert on the barrier if anyone gets in, even us. Just to be on the safe side."

"How do I know that you're not her?" Emma asked, trying to scoot away from Regina.

"You don't," Regina said sadly, dropping her hands from Emma's shoulders. "You have no idea how badly that I wish that I had never let the Evil Queen out of me. This is all my fault. If anyone should be leaving and being bait, it's me."

"No," Emma said, her eyes widening. "Don't you dare. Don't do that. Please don't do that."

"Hey, hey, easy," Regina said soothingly. She grabbed Emma's hands in her own and squeezed them gently. "I'm not going to do anything reckless like that. Not unless it's needed."

Emma went to argue against Regina being bait at all when Regina's phone rang. They both jumped before Regina picked up her phone. "Henry? Is everything okay?"

Emma watched anxiously as Regina listened to Henry speak. Judging by Regina's facial expressions, it wasn't good.

"I'll be there soon," Regina said. "Be safe." She hung up her phone before slipping it into her pocket and standing up.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked.

"The Evil Queen is outside of the apartment," Regina said. "She's not doing anything, but the barrier worked. She couldn't get in."

"So why are you leaving?" Emma asked.

"Because I want to talk to her," Regina said. "There is a truce that needs to be made. If anyone is leaving town, it's her." She flicked her wrist, letting the hold she had on Emma's legs go. "You can come with me, as long as you promise not to say anything."

"Fine," Emma said. She quickly got out of bed and got dressed. They had an Evil Queen to negotiate with.

* * *

"Well look at who it is," the Evil Queen purred. "My weaker other half and her pet."

Regina rolled her eyes. "We didn't come here for you to insult us. We came here to make a kind of truce with you."

The Evil Queen laughed. "A truce? With you? I don't think so."

Emma went to say something, but Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. Emma mentally cursed as she remembered the deal she had made with Regina. No talking.

"It benefits you more than it does us," Regina said. "Are you sure that you're not interested? Or are you just too afraid to make any more deals?"

The Evil Queen's smirk dropped from her face. Emma smiled. Regina definitely knew how to push the buttons of her other half.

"Fine," the Evil Queen said. "What is this truce of yours?"

"There's a cabin out in the woods that I'm sure you could liven up a bit," Regina said. "You live out there away from us all, and leave us alone. No more meddling in our lives."

"And where does this benefit me?" the Evil Queen asked.

Regina smiled. "I'm so glad you asked." She waved her hand, poofing the sword from Emma's nightmares into her hand. Emma winced at seeing the thing that was supposed to kill her.

"You leave us alone, and we won't kill you," Regina said. "We both know that this sword only kills one of us and the other lives."

The Evil Queen's eyes widened. "Point taken. And if I choose not to take this truce?"

"You'll look down and see this sword sticking through you," Regina said, adjusting her grip on the sword to get ready to throw it.

The Evil Queen smiled. "You're not as weak as I thought you were. No matter how hard you try, you will always have darkness inside of you. I'll take your truce, but I expect you to visit. I can get rather lonely."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I know."

In a cloud of purple smoke, the Evil Queen had poofed away to the forest. "There," Regina said, turning to Emma. "Problem solved, no more choosing who has to die."

"Yeah," Emma said absentmindedly, looking at the place where the Evil Queen had been moments earlier.

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma said, shaking her head.

"And there they go again," Regina said softly. "The walls are back up."

Emma chuckled bitterly. "They're always there. With you they're just a little lower."

Regina pulled Emma close by the hand that she was still holding and kissed her. "Let's work on getting them lowered all the way."

"That's going to be one heck of a challenge," Emma said.

Regina just smiled. "Challenge accepted."


	306. Day 306: Desperate Measures

Emma sighed as she looked at Henry sleeping on the couch. He just wanted Regina, but Regina was off helping her mother. Emma knew why, but Henry didn't understand how she could betray them all.

Emma didn't see it as betrayal. She saw it as Regina wanting to regain a relationship with her mother. The woman who had made her childhood a living hell. There was a piece of Emma that wished that she could just summon Cora to her and kill her, but Regina would know that it was Emma who had done it.

"So deep in thought that you don't even notice the enemy coming right into your home," a voice taunted.

Emma looked up quickly before standing in front of Henry. "What do you want?"

"Relax, I'm not here to kill either of you," Cora said. "If I wanted to, I would have already."

"What do you want?" Emma repeated. "I suggest you start talking before I bring my parents here. They would love to see you."

"Oh how scary," Cora said sarcastically. "Are you done threatening me now? Because I actually do need your help."

"You need my help?" Emma asked in surprise.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Yes, I need your help. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It's about Regina and her happy ending."

"Okay," Emma said skeptically. "You know, the last time you had someone help get Regina's happy ending, she ended up drinking a potion to prevent her from ever getting pregnant."

"She told you about that?" Cora asked. She was surprised. Regina didn't share stories of her past with very many people. Then again, that could prove her point.

"She tells me a lot of things," Emma said. "Most of them about you and the horrible things that you did to her as a child."

Cora smiled. "This is just perfect. You really can help me."

"What?" Emma asked.

"You are her happy ending," Cora said. "That is why she has told you these things. When you love someone, you tell them everything about you. She has told you everything."

"That's also what you do when you're friends with someone," Emma said. "Regina and I are just friends."

"And yet you love her," Cora said. She smiled as she saw the conflict flash behind Emma's eyes. "Relax, you don't need to admit it out loud. Not to me anyway."

"I'm not admitting it to anyone," Emma said. "Least of all Regina if that's what you're suggesting."

"Of course that's what I'm suggesting," Cora said. "She loves you too, Emma. And as much as we've disagreed and I've ruined her happiness for my own gain, I finally want her to be happy. You make her happy, and can for a very long time."

Emma bit her lip as she thought about the possibilities. Was Cora to even be trusted, or was this a trap? "How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"You don't," Cora said. "But I've been told that you have a superpower for being able to tell when people are lying. Use it."

Emma sighed. She didn't have any bad feelings about anything that Cora was saying, which meant that she was telling the complete truth. "Fine. I'll tell her."

* * *

"Mother, please tell me you didn't capture Miss Swan," Regina said, crossing her arms. "Of all people to capture."

"I didn't capture her," Cora said. "I can't believe you think so little of me."

"Yes because you never give me the opportunity to," Regina said sarcastically.

Emma looked back and forth between Regina and Cora. "Like mother like daughter. You both have overwhelming amounts of sarcasm."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well if you didn't force her to come here, why is she here?"

"That is for the two of you to talk about," Cora said, stepping towards the door. "Enjoy your little chat."

"What is she talking about?" Regina asked. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Your mother came to me and said that she wanted you to find your happy ending after she had ruined it for you plenty of times," Emma said.

"Okay," Regina said. "So what does that have to do with you?"

Emma sighed. This is what she had been afraid of. Regina didn't feel the same, and now she was going to look like an idiot. "I have no idea."

"Yes you do," Regina said, stepping closer to Emma. "Otherwise my mother wouldn't have been able to convince you to come. You're too untrusting of people to do that."

Emma mentally cursed how well Regina knew her. "Fine. She told me how I factor into this all. But I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Regina asked. "Did she threaten you? I swear if she did-"

"No, she didn't," Emma said quickly. "I came here willingly. It's just, there's a person that she wants you to start seeing, but I'm not sure they know if you feel the same way or not."

"And who is this person?" Regina asked.

"I can't say," Emma said, shrugging. "It, um, is just something that you have to figure out by yourself based on how the person acts around you."

"I see," Regina said. "So, would this person be protective of me? Do anything to see me happy? Make every effort to get close to me even though I've pushed them away time after time? Does that sound like something someone who loves me would do?"

Without even thinking, Emma nodded. "Sounds exactly what you do when you love someone."

Regina smiled and chuckled. "So, and this is just an assumption I'm making based on the previous criteria, that it's you?"

Emma's eyes widened. "How did you-"

Regina cut her off with a kiss. "Because I know you," she said once they had broken apart. "And I can recognize the signs of love when I see it. Our magic wouldn't work together if it wasn't meant to be. For once, I'm actually thankful for my mother."

"Me too," Emma said, pulling Regina in for another kiss. "Me too."


	307. Day 307: Huntsman

**This chapter is for Evil Queen Effie with the prompt: "Could you do a chapter where Graham is brought back to life and he wants revenge on Regina and to start his relationship with Emma."**

Emma and Regina were enjoying their usual lunch at Granny's when Snow came running in looking like she had seen a ghost.

"You need to hide. Right now," Snow panted, stopping at Regina and Emma's table.

"Who needs to?" Regina asked. "Take a deep breath Snow, no one's going to get hurt if you don't calm down a little."

Snow took a deep breath. "You need to hide. There's a person in town that will not be happy that you're with Emma, and will most likely want to kill you for what you did to him."

"I never hide," Regina said. "Who am I hiding from?"

"Graham," Snow said.

"What?" Emma asked. "How is that possible? He's dead."

Snow shrugged. "I have no idea. I was going over to Zelena's house to check on her and Robin, and I saw him walk out of the house. I was so scared that I just came straight here and forgot to check on Zelena and Robin."

"I have a feeling they're just fine," Regina said bitterly.

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because Hades brought Graham back from the dead knowing that he would want to kill me and be in a relationship with you," Regina said. "There couldn't be a more perfect way to win Zelena over. Get rid of her sister."

"We're not going to let that happen," Emma said strongly. "Besides, how will he even find you?"

"He's a hunter," Regina said. "I hired him back in the Enchanted Forest because he was the best one out there. Of course he's going to find me."

"So we go to your vault," Emma said. "Even if he gets there, he won't be able to get in."

"And what, I hide there for the rest of my days?" Regina asked. "No thank you. I prefer to face my problems head on."

"And I prefer you alive," Emma countered.

"Look, there's a way to make you both happy," Snow said, interrupting them both. "Go into the forest. That way you can face him, but you're not in a place where other people could get hurt."

Emma looked around the crowded diner. "She has a point."

Regina nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

* * *

"Why hasn't he found us yet?" Emma asked, pacing back and forth. "You said he was a good hunter."

"He is," Regina said, sitting calmly on a fallen log. "Chances are he already found me and is waiting for you to leave so that he can kill me without any witnesses. Isn't that right?"

Graham stepped out from behind a tree and smiled at Regina. "Your abilities to detect when you're being watched never cease to amaze me."

Regina shrugged. "Years of practice."

Graham glanced over at Emma, who was frozen into place at seeing Graham again. She had been there when he had died. It had taken a long time for her to forgive Regina for what had happened, and now here he was. Digging up all of those painful memories again.

"Emma?" Graham asked. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to fall over."

"How would you feel if you were alive and I came back from the dead?" Emma asked.

"Touché," Graham said. "Anyway, I didn't come here to chat. I've been given a mission, and if I complete it I not only get Emma back, but I also get to stay alive. Win win."

"Not exactly for me," Regina said.

"True," Graham agreed. "And yet, I have a feeling you'll like it in the Underworld. It's nice. Then again, you have a lot of unhappy people down there that you killed."

"I'm well aware," Regina said. "We've already visited, and I'd rather like not to make it a permanent trip."

"Should have thought of that before you killed me," Graham said, pulling out the dagger that he had once been supposed to kill Snow with.

"Don't do this," Emma pleaded. She stepped forward, blocking Graham's path to Regina. "You don't have to kill her."

"If I don't, I have to return to the Underworld," Graham said. "And as much as you two didn't like it, imagine living there for years. Never moving on because your unfinished business is-" He stopped himself. He wasn't allowed to tell Emma what it was.

"What?" Emma asked. "What is it? Maybe we can help you with your unfinished business and then you can move on."

"I can't tell you," Graham said. "If I tell you, I pay the price. One way ticket back to where I came from."

Regina looked at Graham. Finally, it clicked. "Kiss him."

"What?" Emma asked, spinning around to face Regina. "Are you crazy? I'm not going to kiss the man who's trying to kill you!"

"That's his unfinished business," Regina said. "Besides, I killed him first and you've kissed me."

"You've kissed her?" Graham asked.

Emma turned back around to face him. "It's a long story. But why would your unfinished business be kissing me? We kissed before you died."

"True Love," Regina said. "He never got the chance to test if you were True Love's or not because all of your kisses were just sexual."

"If I can get rid of her," Graham said, pointing his dagger at Regina. "Then you and I can be together. That's what we wanted before I died, and now we can pick up where we left off."

Emma shook her head. "I can't let you kill her."

"Why not?" Graham asked. "She was doing unspeakable things in this town, even before you got here. Why not get rid of her and save the town from her terror?"

"She's changed," Emma said. "She isn't the Evil Queen anymore. And I love her."

"You what?" Graham asked.

"You want to see what True Love's kiss looks like?" Emma asked. She spun on her heel and walked over to Regina, kissing her. Magic rippled in the air, so much so that Graham could feel it all over his body.

"You showed my mother mercy once," Emma said. "You chose not to kill her because you saw something in her that was worth saving. Please do the same for Regina. And if you won't do it for Regina, do it for me. Don't take my True Love away from me."

Graham stood there for several minutes before finally slipping his dagger back into its holder. Both Emma and Regina sighed in relief. No one was going to die today. Except maybe Graham.

"What about your unfinished business?" Emma asked.

Graham shrugged. "You guessed wrong. My unfinished business was to see you happy. You always looked like the world was beating down on you and I just wanted to take that away. For you to look happy for once. And you do."

"You told us what your unfinished business was," Regina said. "Doesn't that mean that you should be going back to the Underworld?"

Graham nodded. "I can feel him taking me back. It was nice seeing you both again."

"Have a good afterlife," Emma said. Graham smiled before disappearing in blue flames.

"Do you think he got to move on?" Emma asked.

Regina stood up and grabbed her hand, both of them walking back towards the edge of the forest where the bug was waiting. "I think so."

They walked along for a while before Regina suddenly laughed. "What's so funny?" Emma asked.

"It's just ironic," Regina said. "He came here to kill me with the same dagger that he almost killed your mother with. I'd say that dagger is bad luck for his hunting skills."

Emma laughed. "Bad luck indeed."


	308. Day 308: The King Returns

"Stop looking around like someone is going to come after you," Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand and squeezing it gently.

"A lot of people are down here because of me," Regina said, looking out of the window into the street below. "Of course someone is going to come after me."

"They're not even going to get close to you," Emma said. "You're safe up here."

"Do you really have to go?" Regina asked. "It's not like they even need your help down there. Snow and David can do everything just fine."

Emma sighed and kissed Regina on the cheek. "I'm the Savior. It's my job to make sure that everyone finds happiness, including those who have already died. We need to help these people with their unfinished business."

"So I'll come with you," Regina said.

"No way," Emma said. "We have no idea if anyone's unfinished business is killing you or something. You're going to stay here where it's safe."

"I'm not going to hide up here forever," Regina warned.

"You won't," Emma promised. "It's just for today as we figure out what everyone's unfinished business is."

"Fine," Regina said. "But please be careful."

Emma smiled. "Always."

* * *

"That is not being careful," Regina muttered to herself as she looked down at Emma, David, and Snow interacting with those who had died. They were all out in the open, completely unprotected.

"They left you all alone," a voice said from behind Regina.

Regina froze, instantly recognizing that voice. She would know that voice anywhere. That voice had haunted many of her nightmares before. "What do you want?"

"You could face me," the voice said. "It would be nice to see your face after all of these years."

"You never cared about me," Regina spat. "Why would you suddenly start now?"

"Because you're my unfinished business," the voice said softly. "Now please Regina, turn around."

Regina slowly turned around, facing the person who had made her life a living hell. The person who had been another that pushed her to be the Evil Queen. The person she had murdered. Leopold.

"Why am I your unfinished business?" Regina asked. With her back turned, she lit a fireball behind her back, the signal to Emma that something wasn't right and she needed help. Hopefully Emma would see it.

"I did so much wrong by you," Leopold said. "You were forced into a marriage shortly after losing your first love, and I need to apologize for my actions."

Regina huffed out a laugh. "You think after all these years I'm just going to be able to forgive you?"

Leopold winced. "Perhaps not. But I need to try. I need to explain myself."

"You don't need to explain anything," Regina said. "I was nothing to you but a trophy. You drank to dampen the pain of losing the wife that you loved, and took out your pain on me in your drunken state. Relax, I know how this worked."

"It wasn't right of me," Leopold said.

"Of course it wasn't right," Regina snapped. "You were abusing a girl who was forced to marry you. You helped create the monster that I became. Congratulations."

Leopold took a step towards her. "Regina-"

"Don't you dare come any closer," Regina said, taking a step back so that her back was pressed up against the window. If she was honest with herself, the presence of Leopold was becoming scary. She didn't know how much longer she could keep up the composed part that she was currently playing.

"Please, can't we talk about this?" Leopold asked. "I know that I did wrong by you, and I want to make things right. That is my unfinished business. Making amends with those that I wronged. You're the only one left."

"I'm not interested in what you have to say," Regina said, gripping onto the windowsill to keep herself from falling. She was starting to shake, and her legs felt like they would give out at any moment.

"Regina please," Leopold pleaded. "Just hear me out." He reached out to grab Regina's arm, causing her to whimper and shrink away from his touch. It had taken her months to allow Emma to touch her. There was no way that Leopold would be able to.

"Get away from her!" Emma shouted, storming into the room. She had her gun raised, aimed perfectly at Leopold's head. "I'm not afraid to shoot."

Leopold held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean any harm. I only came to get help with my unfinished business."

"If you are who I think you are, then you need to get away from Regina right now," Emma growled, stepping closer. "You're not welcome here."

"I can see that," Leopold said calmly. "I suppose I'll just have to come back another time."

"Come back again and I'll shoot you without thinking twice," Emma said. Leopold's eyes widened before he quickly exited the apartment. Emma hoped that Snow wouldn't see him. She had been through a lot today.

Regina let go of the windowsill and slowly sank to the ground. Emma quickly put away her gun and crouched down to Regina's level, cupping Regina's face in her hands. "Are you okay?"

"No," Regina said softly.

Emma let go of her face and hugged her tightly. "I never should have left you alone. I'll never leave your side again, I promise."

"What about helping with people's unfinished business?" Regina asked, her shaking stopping as she relaxed in Emma's arms.

Emma shook her head. "You're more important to me."

"More important than being the Savior?" Regina asked.

"Listen to me," Emma said. "No matter what happens, you will always be the most important thing in my life. Not even Henry is more important than you. It's you, and always will be."

Regina smiled and kissed Emma gently. "I love you."

Emma smiled. "I love you too."


	309. Day 309: Better Without

**Please tell me you guys watched the latest episode. It was so good, you have no idea. And as much as I ship SQ, seeing Robin come through that tree and Regina getting him back made me so happy because if Regina and Emma can't be together, at least Regina is happy with someone.**

 **Also really enjoying the lack of Zelena. Praises.**

 **This chapter is based on the most recent episode so if you haven't watched it, WATCH IT :)**

* * *

Emma wasn't going to accept Regina just leaving. Yes, it had been peaceful to live in a world where the curse hadn't happened and she had grown up with her parents. But it was also a world without Regina in it, and that was a world that she never wanted to be in again.

Finally, Emma spotted her on the path up ahead. She knew that she and August had to take care of making the wardrobe, but Regina was more important to her now. If anyone saw her, she would surely be executed.

"Regina!" Emma called.

Regina stopped in her tracks, looking at Emma in surprise. "Why are you following me? You're supposed to be helping get us back."

"This world is not better off without you," Emma panted, stopping in front of Regina to catch her breath. "They just think they are."

"Emma, look at this place," Regina said, spreading out her arms. "There is peace and happiness in this land. There was no curse. You have a great life here, as does everyone else."

Emma shook her head. "This world does not mean anything without you in it. Every world needs you."

"Yes, to cause chaos and destruction," Regina said bitterly. "You saw the way Henry looked at me. I'm a monster, and we both know that heroes always defeat the monsters. Everyone is better off without me."

"I'm not," Emma said softly as Regina turned to walk away.

Regina slowly turned back around. "What?"

"I may have enjoyed getting to grow up with my parents, but deep down I always felt like something was missing here," Emma said. "I didn't realize what it was until you were suddenly in front of me and basically saving me from myself."

"I was ridiculous to even come here," Regina said. "You and Henry were so happy. Your parents were happy. And now this version of them is dead and Henry hates me. This world is better off without the Evil Queen."

"Maybe," Emma agreed, taking a step towards Regina. "But the last time I checked, you're not her. You're Regina. And this world is missing you."

Regina bitterly laughed. "Is it?"

"You said that you wanted to know if Robin was happier off without you, just like everyone else," Emma said. "Well I'm here to tell you that that's a lie. Everyone isn't better off. I wasn't. Look what I became without being the Savior."

Regina laughed. "A singing princess."

Emma nodded. "I don't want that to be my fate. Even if everyone else is happier without you, this world is just a dream world. The whole story is different. I'm sure if we asked right now in town, people really would miss you if you were gone."

"I doubt it," Regina said. "But thank you for trying to make me feel better."

Emma sighed before reaching out and grabbing Regina's hands. "Listen to me, okay? I felt empty without you in this world. It didn't feel right for some reason to have Henry all to myself and for Neal to be a knight. This world felt off. And then you showed up. And even though at first I had no idea that you were good, your presence filled that hole in me. What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Regina said softly.

"Well I do," Emma said strongly. "It means that my life, my happiness, isn't complete without you in it. I need you. Always have, and always will. So don't you dare think for one moment that my life would be better without you in it. Because it wouldn't."

Regina looked at Emma in surprise. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do," Emma said, squeezing Regina's hands gently. "When I saw you standing in front of me as the Evil Queen, I was so confused. I felt so scared of what you might do to me, but I also felt completed. As if, in that moment, my life was complete. And then I realized that you were the reason why."

"Why are you telling me this?" Regina asked.

"Because all that seeing Robin is going to do is hurt you," Emma said. "He doesn't remember you, and he hasn't had the greatest life here. It won't end well."

"So what do you suggest then?" Regina asked.

"Help me and August with the wardrobe," Emma said. "Then we can go home, and you can surround yourself with people who need you in their lives. This Henry may not need you, but ours does."

Regina smiled. "He's a teenager. He'll never admit to that."

"Maybe not," Emma said, shrugging. "But it's worth a shot."

"Can I ask you something?" Regina asked.

"Always," Emma said, linking her arm with Regina's and heading back to August's house.

"Why are you so intent on finding me my happiness?" Regina asked. "You sacrificed yourself to the darkness for me, and you've helped me with Robin on multiple occasions. Why?"

Emma shrugged. "That's what you do when-" She cut herself off, not wanting to give anything away. Regina couldn't know.

"When what?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "Nothing. Forget about it. It wasn't important."

Regina stopped, pulling Emma to a stop beside her. "Come on. If it was nothing, you wouldn't have started to say it."

Emma sighed and unhooked her arm from Regina's. "That's what you do when you love someone. Even if you can't have them, somebody else should."

"You love me?" Regina asked, wide-eyed in shock.

Emma nodded. "I think that's why I felt empty without you here. My heart wasn't complete without you beside me the whole time. My happiness is with you."

Regina smiled before pulling Emma to her and kissing her gently. "My happiness is with you too. If I'm honest with myself, I only want to know if Robin's happy because I feel responsible for his death. I loved him for awhile, but I always came back to you."

"I'm glad you did," Emma said, kissing her again. "Now come on, we need to get back to the cottage. We can't risk anyone seeing you. Plus we have a lot of work to get done on the wardrobe."

Regina nodded and intertwined her fingers with Emma's. "Let's go home."


	310. Day 310: Twister

Emma looked up at the sky and sighed. It looked like it was going to storm, and badly. Everyone was heading back to their respective houses, and the people from the Land of Untold Stories were all gathering together in the forest. Emma didn't like them out in the open, but there was nothing that she could do.

"You know, when you tell everyone to take shelter that includes you," Regina said, coming to stand next to Emma.

"I'm just making sure that everyone gets where they need to be," Emma said. "Relax, I'll be home soon enough. Just get you and Henry to a safe place."

"Henry is safe," Regina said. "I'm staying here with you."

"What?" Emma asked. "No you're not. You're going home to be with Henry and to get to the basement. Safety."

"Not without you," Regina said strongly. "You are not invincible, and magic can't fight the weather. A big storm is coming, and I won't just leave you out here."

Thunder rumbled overhead as lightning flashed through the sky. Wind started to pick up, and Emma quickly put her hair up in a ponytail to get it out of her face. Regina just turned to face the wind, getting the hair out of her face and appearing like she wasn't scared of anything. Least of all a storm.

A couple of people ran from the diner towards their cars, getting ready to drive home. All of a sudden the clouds let loose, rain pouring down from the sky and lightning flashed even closer. The thunder rumbled, so loud that Emma and Regina could feel the ground shake.

"We need to get to shelter," Regina said, shielding her face from the huge drops of rain.

Emma shook her head. "Not until we know everyone is safe."

"You sent out the warning an hour ago!" Regina shouted over the loud sounds of the thunder and wind. "If anyone isn't home by now, it's their own fault."

Cars drove past both women, frantically trying to get home to their families. One of the cars turned too quickly, skidded on the wet road, and overcorrected. The car behind them slammed to a stop, getting rear-ended by the car behind them. In no time at all, there was a 5-car pile-up right at the end of Main Street.

"Oh no," Emma groaned. She and Regina shared a glance and ran over to make sure that everyone was okay. They were, but were incredibly angry at one another for what had happened; and the fact that they were now all soaking wet instead of in their warm cars.

"We'll get you home," Regina assured them. "Tell us your addresses and we'll magically transport you all there. Much faster than a car."

The group all mumbled before reluctantly nodding. One by one, Emma and Regina transported each person home, leaving their cars piled up. There was no fixing that tonight.

"Now can we go home?" Regina asked.

"I'm too tired to poof again," Emma admitted. "My magic was spent getting all of those people home. Some of them live really far away."

"I know the feeling," Regina said. "Mine isn't the best right now either."

"But we do need to take shelter," Emma said, looking at the sky with wide eyes. "Look."

Regina looked over and saw the biggest tornado she had ever seen coming towards them. She grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her towards the library.

"Why are we going here?" Emma asked. "We don't need to be educated on tornadoes, just need to get away from one!"

Regina rolled her eyes and pulled Emma to the elevator. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but there's a nice little cave under here where Maleficent used to live."

"Oh yeah," Emma said. Regina chuckled before pushing her inside and hitting the button for the bottom floor. Once they got down there, they quickly took cover.

"You know, the last time I was down here you sent me here to be killed by her," Emma said. "How ironic that we're hiding down here to stay safe from a storm."

"Very," Regina said. "You should see if your phone has any service and text Henry that we're fine but in shelter away from home."

Emma pulled out her phone and sighed. "No service down here. Guess we'll just have to apologize tomorrow for scaring him."

"How long do you think we'll be down here?" Regina asked. "It's starting to feel a little creepy."

"Probably a while," Emma said. "We might as well get comfortable."

They got as close as they could on the hard rock before wrapping themselves around each other and falling asleep, the sound of the storm raging above them.

* * *

"Oh no," Regina breathed as she stepped out of the elevator. The library was completely destroyed, which didn't really bode well for the rest of the town.

"We're going to have a lot of fixing to do," Emma said, stepping out behind her. "Hopefully no one got hurt. If this is the library, I would hate to see the rest of the town."

"Mom! Ma!" Henry called, running over to them.

"Be careful!" Regina called to him. "There's debris everywhere and you could get hurt."

"Says the one who stayed in the library all night after rescuing people from their wrecked cars," Henry said, hugging Regina tightly. "You guys scared me when you didn't come home, and then none of my texts were getting responses."

"We were in the basement," Emma said, stepping backwards to regain her balance after Henry crashed into her and hugged her tightly. "There was no reception."

Henry pulled away from Emma. "The library has a basement?"

"It's a long story," Regina said. "Something for another time. Right now, we need to work on rebuilding the town."

"You have magic," Henry said. "How hard could it be?"


	311. Day 311: Packing

"You don't need to pack your whole entire closet," Emma said, chuckling as she walked into the bedroom.

Clothes were thrown all over the place as Regina pulled them out and set them into the pile she was creating. "I'm not. I just need to figure out what outfits I'm wearing for the whole vacation."

"So pack the same couple pairs of shorts and different shirts," Emma said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Less room to take up in your suitcase, and you'll still have a variety of outfits."

"I can't wear the same two pairs of shorts the entire week," Regina said, shaking her head. "That's not acceptable. It needs to be something new every day."

Emma groaned before flopping back on the bed. This happened every time that they went on vacation. Regina would empty out her whole closet, make a different outfit for every day, and then pack while Emma cleaned up the clothes left on the floor.

"We're going on vacation," Emma said, "Why do you need to look like a model all of the time?"

Regina shrugged. "Just do. Now help me pick out my outfits."

"You never listen to my opinion anyway," Emma said. "Whatever I suggest is always shot down because I don't have your sense of style."

"You have your own unique sense of style," Regina said. "But I still value your opinion on what looks good and what doesn't."

"What looks good is you taking less clothes than you are so it doesn't take forever to get through the airport because your bag is so heavy, " Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Those airport workers just don't appreciate fashion," Regina said. "If any of them understood the need for so many outfits, then maybe we wouldn't be stopped every time."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You are ridiculous. Now come on, pick out your outfits so I can load the car and we can go. Henry is waiting."

A couple weeks earlier, Emma had surprised Henry and Regina with a trip to Paris, fully intent on enjoying the romanticism of the city, as well as an opportunity for Henry to learn French like he had always wanted to.

Regina groaned before sorting through the pile to make sure that she had the right clothes that she wanted, as well as the perfect pair of shoes to match each one. Emma just sighed and let it happen, knowing that Regina wouldn't be able to shut her suitcase.

As soon as Regina had picked out her outfits, she put them all in her suitcase. Her other items like brushes and shower materials were already packed, and she assumed that the clothes would just fit nicely on top.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Emma covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Regina pushed on the top of the suitcase, hoping to compress everything enough the pull the zipper closed. She just ended up breaking the zipper.

"Now what?" Regina asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"You remove some clothes?" Emma suggested.

"Or," Regina said. "You have your fantastic girlfriend sit on the top of the suitcase so you can get it closed."

Emma rolled her eyes before climbing on top of the bed and sitting on Regina's suitcase. Regina smiled and successfully zippered the suitcase closed. "So what happens if they ask to search it?" Emma asked. "This thing will explode if you open it."

Regina shrugged. "Then I guess we run for it and get on the plane."


	312. Day 312: Lobster

**So fun fact: when wearing a bikini for the first time, put a lot of sunscreen on your chest. My bad.**

"What are you doing out here?" Regina asked, stepping onto the deck.

"Sunbathing," Emma said. She was stretched out on a lawn chair in her bikini and sunglasses, fully intent on getting a nice tan. Summer was coming after all.

"How are you going to tan both sides if you're laying on your back?" Regina asked.

"I roll over and lay on my stomach," Emma said. "Both sides get equal amount of time, and I get a lovely tan."

Regina laughed. "Why are you even doing this?"

"Because I look as pale as Snow White," Emma grumbled.

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Your mother isn't that pale."

"I mean the movie version," Emma said. "It's a saying. Whenever someone is super pale it's like Snow White because Snow White has skin white as snow."

"That sounds unhealthy," Regina said. "No one should be as white as snow."

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately. "I didn't invent the saying, and I keep forgetting that my mother is Snow White. Now shush and let me tan."

"As you wish," Regina said. "Just be careful not to get sunburnt."

"I won't," Emma said. "I've tanned loads of times and I've yet to get burnt."

* * *

Turns out she had jinxed herself by saying just that. The sun had been so warm that she had managed to fall asleep shortly after Regina had left, leaving her to the mercy of the glaring light.

"Emma," Regina said, shaking her lightly. She tried not to shake Emma too hard; otherwise her very awful burn would hurt even worse. "Emma, wake up."

Emma groggily opened her eyes, wincing as she went to rub them. Why did it hurt to move her arm? "What time is it?"

"Way past how long you should have been outside," Regina said. "You fell asleep, and you've done quite a number on yourself."

Emma looked down and groaned. "Great. That looks like it's going to hurt for days."

Regina nodded. "It will. But I have some things that will help."

"How do you know what to do?" Emma asked, allowing Regina to gently help her to her feet.

"Henry spent a lot of time outside when he was younger, and I had no idea what sunscreen was," Regina said. "The very first day that he went outside when the sun was high, he came back in and looked like you do now. Him hurting for days was what made me research treatments as well as what to do next time for protection."

"Why are we in the kitchen?" Emma asked.

Regina opened a drawer and pulled out several washcloths, soaking them with cold water. Emma followed her curiously as they went to the living room.

"At least your back isn't burnt, otherwise this would be much tougher," Regina said, pointing to the couch. "Lay down."

"Woof," Emma said sarcastically before obediently lying down on the couch. Regina rolled her eyes before putting the washcloths onto the worst areas on Emma's skin.

"Stay here," Regina commanded. "I'll be right back."

Emma sighed and enjoyed the cooling effect that the cold water was having on her skin. Stupid sun and its burning qualities.

Regina came back a couple minutes later holding a bottle of what looked like gel. "What is that?" Emma asked.

"A lotion to help with the pain from your sunburn," Regina said, sitting next to Emma on the couch. One by one, she pulled off the washcloths and applied the lotion to the areas that the washcloths had been.

Emma sighed in relief at the feeling of the lotion. It was soothing, and yet also numbing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Regina said. "Let that soak in, and then you can change into some comfy clothing."

Emma nodded. "Anything else that I need to do?"

Regina reached over to the coffee table and handed Emma a glass of juice. "Drink that. It'll help."

"Drinking juice will help with my sunburn," Emma said doubtfully.

"Your skin is dry and dehydrated," Regina said. "Drinking juice will help hydrate it and speed healing along."

Emma quickly downed the glass. "Healing quickly sounds good to me right now."

Regina laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't have gotten sunburnt in the first place."

Emma shrugged. "Oh well. At least I've got you here to help me."

"Of course," Regina said. "Now then, let's get you in an oatmeal bath."

Emma's eyes widened. "A what?"


	313. Day 313: Ransom Part 1

Emma tried to tell herself that she was being ridiculous. Regina probably had a very good reason for missing lunch and not telling her. Right?

Then again, they had made a deal with each other. They were both new at this relationship thing, and had agreed to let each other know if they needed to cancel anything. Two insecure women in a relationship. What could go wrong?

Emma shook her head and got out of the booth. Something was wrong. She could feel it. Regina would never just stand her up. Would she?

"Emma?" Ruby called from behind the counter. "Are you okay? You look like something's on your mind."

"I'm fine," Emma said, walking to the door of the diner. "Just feel like there's trouble coming." She left the diner before Ruby could say anything else, but ran right into her mother. Literally.

"Emma!" Snow said happily. Then she noticed the expression on Emma's face. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened," Emma said quickly. "Just have a bad gut feeling is all."

"You're going to have to try harder than that," David said. "We're your parents, we'll always know when something's wrong."

Emma sighed. "Regina didn't show up for lunch, and every time that I've called her it's just rung until I get voicemail. Something doesn't feel right."

"She would never ignore you like that," Snow agreed. "Or stand you up. That's too unlike her."

David nodded. "You're right, something has to be up. Have you stopped by her house yet to see if she's at home?"

Emma shook her head. "That's where I was headed next."

"You check there, and I'll check her vault," David said. "Snow, you can check her office. We will find her. And who knows, maybe she just got caught up at work and didn't even realize what time it was or that you were calling her."

* * *

After checking each of those places and still finding no trace of Regina, all three of them met in the forest to search. With each passing minute, Emma was growing more and more concerned. Something had happened.

Henry was over with Violet, and Emma had made sure to put a barrier around the house sealed with blood magic. Hopefully it wasn't needed, but better safe than sorry.

David and Snow had taken the right and left paths into the forest, leaving Emma in the middle. As far as she knew, the middle path didn't go anywhere. Or so she thought.

Shielding her eyes from the blaring sun, Emma saw a piece of paper stuck to a tree up ahead. She jogged to it; silently praising whatever power was above that she had possibly found a clue as to where Regina would be.

Stopping in front of the tree, Emma gasped. The piece of paper had nothing on it but an arrow pointing at the ground. Looking down, Emma nearly fainted. Regina's phone was lying in the grass, as well as the necklace that Emma had bought her for her birthday.

Emma pulled out her phone, quickly calling David and then Snow to her location. They both ran to her, each of them looking sadly at Regina's possessions on the ground.

"What does this mean?" Emma asked. "Does someone have her?"

David shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe you can do a locator spell on her phone and find where she is. That might help."

Emma nodded before picking up the necklace and sticking it into her pocket. She bent back down and picked up the phone, turning the power on and smiling at the background of Regina's phone. A picture of her, Henry, and Regina at Snow's birthday party smiled back at her.

David wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders. "We will find her. It's in our Charming blood. No one that we love ever gets away from us."

Emma smiled gratefully at him. "Then let's find her."

* * *

The trio followed Regina's phone as it flew in front of them. In a matter of minutes, they were in a part of town that they had never known ever existed. Then again, Regina could have created it in case she needed to get away after the curse had broken and everyone had their memories.

The phone stopped in front of a cottage, floating to the ground and resting there. "She has to be in there," Emma said, reaching down and picking up the phone.

"Wait," David said, grabbing Emma's arm as she went to walk into the cottage. "You can't just barge in. We don't know who this is that's hiding her, or what they want."

"He's right," Snow jumped in, seeing Emma's hesitation. "You have to ambush your enemy. Waltzing in isn't the way to go. Let's scope out the territory first."

Emma reluctantly nodded, following Snow and David around the back of the cottage. "Bingo," David whispered, pointing at a window that was wide open. "Even criminals make mistakes."

He and Snow helped lift Emma safely through the window. "Be careful," Snow whispered. "Don't do anything rash."

Emma just nodded and walked deeper into the cottage. The window that she had climbed through had been in the kitchen, and the hallway outside of the kitchen led directly to the living room at the front of the house.

Around the corner was a bedroom, and the sight inside left Emma speechless. Regina was tied on the bedposts, her mouth gagged. She could move her legs, but that didn't really do her any good.

Emma quickly crossed the room and took the gag out of Regina's mouth. "Who did this to you?"

"Zelena," Regina said. "You have to get me out of here before she comes back."

"Of course," Emma said. She reached to untie one of Regina hands, but was met with just the bedpost. She looked down in surprise at where Regina had just been. What had happened?

"Hello Savior," Zelena purred, stepping into the room. "How nice to see you. Now we can have a proper chat."

 **Dun dun dunnnnnn**


	314. Day 314: Ransom Part 2

"What do you want?" Emma asked. "And where did you send Regina?"

Zelena shrugged. "I'll bring her back after you agree to my terms. After all, isn't that what you usually do when you're holding someone for ransom?"

Emma glared daggers at Zelena. "If you're holding Regina for ransom, then you have to have a price for me to pay in order to get her back. So, what do you want?"

"Easy," Zelena said. "I want you to stop meddling in things that you have no business meddling in. Specifically, me. You and your other little hero family and friends leave me and my daughter completely alone."

"That's all you want?" Emma asked.

"You may think that's easy, but just imagine all the trouble I could cause," Zelena taunted.

"You want to play that game?" Emma asked. "Fine. Game on." She had no idea how she did it, but she was angry. All she wanted was Regina back, and Zelena had sent her to an unknown location. But Emma knew where Robin was.

Before Zelena even knew what was happening, Emma had poofed to her house and back, holding Robin in her arms.

"What are you doing?" Zelena asked. "How did you get my daughter?"

"It's called magic," Emma said, tightening her grip on Robin and Zelena stepped towards her. "Take one more step and I'll poof her away to a place where you'll never find her."

"Fine," Zelena said. "I suppose that you want Regina in exchange for my baby."

Emma shook her head. "I want Regina, but I also want you to promise on your daughters life that you will be on our side no matter what."

"Fine, fine, deal," Zelena said, holding out her arms. "Now give me my baby girl."

"Not until you give me Regina," Emma said. Zelena sighed before poofing Regina into the room, no longer with a gag in her mouth and her arms free. Emma quickly passed Robin to Zelena before wrapping her arms tightly around Regina, who hugged her back just as tightly.

"True Love is sickening," Zelena scoffed before poofing herself away.

"Emma," Regina said softly after several seconds. "You're squeezing me quite tightly."

"Consider it punishment for scaring me so badly," Emma said. "How did she even get you?"

"She snuck into my office and dropped some sleeping potion into my morning coffee," Regina said. "Once I was out, she brought me here and tied me up."

"Why didn't you use magic to get away?" Emma asked.

"I built that room with the intent of having to store Gold there if he ever got out of hand," Regina said. "The walls are lined with the kind of fabric that is used for the magic cuff. Strong stuff."

"I'm so glad that you're okay," Emma said. She buried her face into Regina's neck, breathing in the scent of apples and Regina's shampoo.

"Me too," Regina said. "Although here's a good question. How did you even get in here?"

Emma's eyes widened. "I forgot about my parents."

* * *

Snow and David were as happy to see Regina as Emma had been, and Snow fussed over Regina as if the woman was older than she was and her stepmother.

"Snow, I am fine," Regina said. "I promise. She didn't do anything to me; she just wanted to get Emma's attention. Quite successfully I might add."

Emma shrugged. "I knew that something was wrong when you didn't show up for lunch. No matter what happened, you always showed up for lunch."

Regina's stomach chose that moment to loudly growl, letting everyone know that Regina had definitely skipped lunch.

Emma laughed. "You still up for that lunch?"

Regina smiled and intertwined her fingers with Emma's. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	315. Day 315: Lost in Universal

"How did we manage to lose a 16 year old?" Emma asked, jogging to keep up to Regina.

"I have no idea," Regina said, not even noticing that Emma was struggling to keep up to her. "One minute he was by us and the next he was gone. Who knows what could have happened to him?"

Emma and Henry had convinced Regina to let the three of them as a family fly down to Florida for a week and enjoy being on the beach and enjoy the warm weather while the rest of the town enjoyed to snow and freezing temperatures.

Henry had chosen to go to Universal instead of Disney knowing how uncomfortable Disney made Regina. And besides, Universal had Harry Potter in it.

The new park had just been opened, and Henry was exploring every inch of it within minutes. Emma and Regina had kept a good eye on him until suddenly a group of people had stepped in their path. Suddenly, Henry was gone.

Regina had instantly freaked out, but Emma wasn't nearly as worried. She was, just not as badly as Regina. Regina was ready to send out an Amber Alert. Emma, on the other hand, knew that Henry was just off exploring. He hadn't been kidnapped.

"Will you please slow down?" Emma asked. "No one kidnapped him, I'm sure he's just exploring and will turn up in no time."

"How do you know that no one kidnapped him?" Regina asked, spinning on her heel to face Emma. "Are you some kind of kidnapping expert now?"

Emma glared at Regina. "This is a full park. If someone were going to grab a kid, they would grab a little one that is easy to just pick up and run with. No one would question a screaming and crying child, especially on a hot day like this. Not to mention, there are crowds everywhere and dragging a reluctant 16 year old boy behind you isn't the most time efficient."

Regina's eyes widened. "How did you-"

"It doesn't matter," Emma said, walking past Regina. "He said something earlier about wanting to buy an owl, I'm sure he's in the shop over here."

"Wait," Regina said. She grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her over to a less crowded area. "How did you know all of that? About the kidnapping."

"Common sense," Emma said.

Regina looked at Emma with raised eyebrows. "Common sense. Really."

Emma sighed. "Regina-"

"There you guys are," Henry said, walking quickly over to them. "Sorry I got so far ahead. I didn't realize that the crowd had swept you two up until I was in the shop. I figured that I would just wait until the crowds died down until I came to look for you guys."

"It's fine kid," Emma said. "We're just glad that you're okay."

Henry looked back and forth between Regina and Emma. "Did something happen while I was gone. It looks like you guys were in the middle of arguing or something."

Emma sighed. "We weren't arguing."

"No, your mother just chose to shut down," Regina said.

"You called me a kidnapping expert," Emma snapped back at her.

"I mean you kind of are," Henry said quietly.

Regina and Emma turned to look at him with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"When I was first researching and trying to find out who my mom was, I came across this article from a long time ago," Henry said. "It had a picture of a little girl on it and had a whole thing on how she had been stolen from an amusement park."

Emma winced. "That article was supposed to be sealed."

Henry smiled guiltily. "It was."

"You were kidnapped?" Regina asked.

"Not really," Emma said. "I didn't have a family at the time and was just floating around. Once the guy realized that I had no family to give him money, he let me go and back I went into the system. Nothing too scarring."

"A stranger took you," Regina said.

"I was passed from strangers houses for years," Emma said. "Relax. It's not that big of a deal, and that's how I knew Henry hadn't been taken. But for future reference, don't ever run off like that again."

"Yes ma'am," Henry said.

The three of them set off to do more exploring, Regina holding onto Emma's hand a little tighter than usual.


	316. Day 316: Instagram

Henry was currently taking on the battle of helping Regina learn how to use Instagram. Regina had only had a smartphone for a couple weeks and she was already being forced to join social media.

"How's it going?" Emma asked, walking into the room with an apple in her hand. There always seemed to be some around the house at all times.

Regina smiled as Emma took a bite out of the apple. "It could be going better, but I've been reassured that setting up this app is much easier than the last one."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Facebook is not that complicated."

"It is when you were born and raised in another world," Regina huffed.

Emma chuckled before leaning over and kissing Regina on the cheek. "You'll get the hang of it. You're a fast learner."

"Stop distracting her," Henry said, swatting Emma away. "This is complicated stuff."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm going to work. See you guys later tonight."

* * *

A couple hours later, Emma got a text from Regina.

 _Help_

 **What's wrong?**

 _Henry is convinced that I'm not trying hard enough to take a selfie for this post and that I truly don't understand the art of a perfect caption_

 **I just spit my coffee all over my paperwork laughing. Are you serious?**

 _Very. Hence the help. Get home. Now._

Emma didn't need to be told twice. She cleaned off her desk and paperwork before telling David that she had to go rescue Regina from Henry. He gave her a weird look but let her leave anyway.

* * *

As soon as Emma entered the house, she was met with the blurred figure of Regina running up the stairs, Henry hot on her heels.

"What's going on?" Emma called after them.

"Mom won't give me her phone!" Henry shouted.

"He's trying to make me put filters on my pictures!" Regina shouted. "I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound good!"

Emma covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She loved Regina to pieces, but her lack of knowledge in the modern department was downright hysterical.

"Henry, stop chasing your mom," Emma called up to him. "All you're doing is freaking her out and that won't get you anywhere."

"Fine," Henry grumbled. "But that's a really good picture." He went to his room, and Regina came back down to where Emma was.

"Thank you for saving me," Regina said. "I have no idea what that even meant!"

Emma gently grabbed Regina's phone and led her to the living room. "I'll show you. And I promise that I won't chase you around the house in the process."

Regina just laughed. "Thank you."


	317. Day 317: Bird Friend

**So while on vacation we went to this open bird thing and this bird loved my dad so much that it literally flew onto his shoulder and would not leave. I wanted to just tuck it in my bag and go, but my parents said no. Party poopers.**

"It's still following me," Emma said, glancing up at the sky. "Do you think it wants something?"

Regina shrugged. "Maybe if you stop looking at it and giving it attention, it'll go away."

Emma looked straight ahead, focusing more on the path then on the persistent bird flying above them. After several seconds, she glanced up again. Still there.

"Regina," Emma whined.

"Emma I can't make it go away," Regina said, chuckling. "We're in the forest. That's his territory."

"Yeah but he doesn't have to follow us everywhere," Emma grumbled. "Maybe if I give him some food he'll leave us alone."

"Doubt it," Regina said. "Besides, he's kind of cute."

"Not when it looks like he's going to poop on my head," Emma said, glancing up again. It looked as if the bird was getting lower. "What happens if he follows us the whole way home?"

Regina shrugged. "Henry's always wanted a pet."

Emma's jaw dropped. "But you don't."

"Well," Regina said, looking up at the bird. "It doesn't look like I'm going to have a choice. Perhaps he'd like to join us on our picnic?"

"That's not even remotely funny," Emma said. Regina just laughed.

They reached the clearing that they had chosen for their Saturday afternoon picnics. Emma spread out the blanket while Regina began to prepare the food. Glancing up, Emma groaned as she saw the bird on a close branch.

Regina laughed and sat down before patting the seat next to her. "Come on. This food isn't going to eat itself."

Emma sighed before sitting next to her. "If it poops on me, I 100% blame you for making me sit down."

Regina rolled her eyes. "And you say that I'm the dramatic one."

Emma smiled before picking up a grape and popping it into her mouth. "That's because you are. You must be rubbing off on me."

"So people keep saying," Regina said, eating a grape of her own.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked.

"People talk a lot in town," Regina said. "Sometimes they care if I hear. Other times they don't."

Emma's jaw dropped. "That's-" She was cut off as the little bird that had been following them around took that moment to fly down and land on Emma's shoulder. Emma jumped, quickly standing up to try and scare it off. It didn't move.

"Don't!" Regina exclaimed as Emma went to push it off. "It just likes you."

"It landed on me," Emma said.

"Because it likes you," Regina said, reaching over and delicately stroking the bird. "There are worse things in this world than having a cute bird land on you."

Emma looked at Regina in surprise. "I didn't know you had a soft spot for birds."

"I don't," Regina said. "I have a soft spot for innocent things that don't deserve the cruelty of this world."

Emma smiled at Regina. "And that is why I love you. You never cease to amaze me with how un-evil you are."

Regina laughed before walking over and sitting back down on the blanket. "Come on. We have a meal to enjoy, and I'm sure your new friend will be on his best behavior as we finish our meal."

Emma shook her head and chuckled before taking a seat and continuing her lunch with Regina. And, true to what Regina had said, the bird was on his best behavior throughout the rest of their meal. After they had finished, they headed home.

Henry named the bird Skye.


	318. Day 318: From the Past

The last thing that Emma had expected when she had gone on vacation with Regina had been to see him. The man who had seen a girl who was in need and taken full advantage of his opportunity. Not that she blamed him.

But, nonetheless, he wasn't someone that Regina knew about. And Emma saw the flash of recognition in his eyes from across the street and knew that if she didn't do something he would come up to her.

That couldn't happen.

"We should go in here," Emma said, tugging Regina into the nearest shop to them both. She didn't even look at what it was, and she honestly didn't care.

"Why?" Regina asked. "You don't take baths and hate the smell of anything that isn't vanilla."

"Just to look around," Emma said, trying to hide her desperation. She glanced behind her to see if he was still looking for her, and sure enough he was. The sign had just switched to being able to cross the street and boy was he booking it.

"Emma," Regina said. "Are you okay? You seem distracted by something."

"I'm fine," Emma said, turning back to Regina. She resisted the temptation to look behind her again and check on his progress. "Let's see what this store has to offer."

Regina looked at Emma skeptically before following her into the back part of the store. Not that she really had a choice. Emma had her hand in an iron-like grip.

As time went on, Regina started to grow even more suspicious. Emma was acting as she was scared that they were being followed everywhere that they went. Finally, Regina glanced behind them just as Emma did and noticed a man that she had seen all morning trailing behind them. They were being followed.

"Emma," Regina said. "Why is there a man following us?"

"There's not a man following us," Emma said. "Why would you think that?"

"Emma Swan you can lie to anyone in this world, but you can't to me," Regina said. "Now, why is there a man following us?"

"He knows me," Emma said. "From a long time ago, and I thought that he wouldn't remember me but clearly he does."

"And you owe him something?" Regina asked. That was the only reason that she could come up with for why someone would follow them.

"I don't owe him anything," Emma growled.

Regina jumped at Emma's tone. "So what does he want then?"

"Probably to say hello and see how things have been for me," Emma said, glancing over her shoulder. Still there. "I don't really want to do that."

"Why not?" Regina asked, speeding up her walking to match Emma's pace. "Did he do something to you?"

"Something like that," Emma said.

"Then shouldn't you face him?" Regina asked. "Maybe he wants to apologize."

"Doubt it," Emma said. "He isn't one to apologize. Besides, you know me. I run when things get uncomfortable. It's easier."

"Since when do you take the easy way out?" Regina asked, stopping suddenly. Emma yelped in surprise as she was pulled to a halt. "You're better than that."

"Regina this is not funny," Emma hissed, glancing behind them. He was getting closer. "Let's go."

Regina shook her head. "You have faced so many monsters. Maybe it's time you faced some from the past too."

Emma glared at Regina. "I will leave with or-"

"Emma!" the man called, catching up to them. "I've been trying to get your attention all morning. Guess that hasn't changed." He winked, causing Emma to wince.

"Hello Richard," Emma managed to force out with a smiled. "It's been ages since I saw you last."

"Yes, it's been far too long," Richard said with a smile. Regina instantly knew that smile. Men in the Enchanted Forest had used that smile on many women in the pubs. It was a smile of "I-know-I'm-hot-and-you'll-be-mine". Regina had an idea that she knew what had happened between him and Emma.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Richard asked, nodding towards Regina.

Emma cleared her throat awkwardly. "Richard, this is Regina Mills. My fiancé. Regina, this is Richard Fox. He's an old friend."

"Fiancé huh?" Richard asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Very nice to meet you." Regina just smiled and shook his hand. She wasn't going to say anything unless Emma looked like she needed her to.

"So," Richard said. "How long are you in New York? We could catch up over some dinner and drinks."

Emma tensed, squeezing Regina's hand harder than before. Regina stopped herself from wincing before speaking up. "We were actually on our way back today. We have a son back home and he would be angry if we stayed another night without him along."

"Ah," Richard said. "You have a son together."

"It's complicated," Regina said. "But yes. It was lovely meeting you, but we really must be going. Would hate to get back too late and he's already sleeping." Before Richard could say anything else, Regina pulled Emma away.

Emma didn't say anything as they walked down the street, past thousands of people in a matter of 5 minutes. Finally, they reached an alley that didn't look too sketchy and Regina pulled Emma into it.

Regina dropped Emma's hand, flexing her fingers. "Are you okay?"

Emma nodded, still not saying a word. Regina looked Emma up and down before reaching over and cupping Emma's face in her hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "No lying. Are you okay?"

Emma slowly shook her head and collapsed into Regina's arms. Regina hugged her tightly, running her hand up and down Emma's back. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing I didn't agree to," Emma mumbled. "I needed the money and he was willing to pay. I was 18 and had just been released from the system. I had no money, no family, and was very desperate. He found me on the side of the road and took me in. He said he would pay me for as long as I stayed.

Regina shivered. "How long did this go on?"

Emma shrugged. "For as long as it took for me to get enough money from him to get out."

"Which was?" Regina prompted.

Emma sighed. "Only 2 years."

"2 years?" Regina asked, pulling away from Emma. "You did that for 2 years?"

"I had no other choice," Emma said bitterly. "I needed money and a place to go. He gave me both and I paid him back for it. I got out and moved on. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Regina asked. "You could barely talk in his presence."

"He caught me off guard," Emma said.

"He was following us for half of the day," Regina said. "To catch you off guard he would have had to of poofed in front of you."

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "He reminds me of the person that I wish I had never had been. I wish that I could have been stronger and gotten an actual job."

"You were young and alone," Regina said.

"I know," Emma said softly.

Regina grabbed Emma's hands, squeezing them gently. "If we went through life trying to forget who we used to be, we would never learn anything. Think of those memories as lessons, not times that you want to forget."

Emma smiled at Regina. "When did you get so wise?"

"I've always been this wise," Regina said. "This is just the first time that you've listened."


	319. Day 319: Bambi

"Emma!" Regina called from the kitchen. "You need to come down here!"

Emma poofed to the kitchen. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? I swear if there's any blood-"

"Calm down," Regina said, chuckling. "Turn off your overprotective machine and look outside. There's a mother deer and her two babies."

Emma looked outside and immediately smiled at the little deer family. "They're so cute. Maybe we could-"

"No we cannot have one," Regina interrupted, rolling her eyes. Emma sighed before pouting.

They watched for several more minutes, and then they noticed something disturbing. One of the little fawns seemed to be having trouble walking and keeping up with its sibling and its mother. The mother stopped long enough for it to catch up and lay down before sprinting away with the fawn that was healthy.

Emma's jaw dropped. "Did she just leave it there?"

"It's part of nature," Regina said. "It wasn't going to survive, and if they got slow for it they risk being caught and eaten. She's thinking of her other baby."

"That's awful," Emma said. "We could rescue it."

"No way," Regina said. "We are not bringing a fawn into our house to nurse back to health."

"Please?" Emma pleaded. "It won't even be for that long. Just long enough to put the leg in a brace and get it moving correctly. Then we can release it back into the wild with its mom and sibling."

Regina bit her lip as she thought about it. "Fine. But it better stay outside."

* * *

A week later, Emma looked in triumph as the baby deer, named Bambi by Henry, walked on his own perfectly without the brace on.

"You did it," Regina said, giving her a hug. "You successfully taught a baby deer how to walk."

"He already knew how to walk," Emma said, reaching down to pet him. "He just needed a little help doing it properly."

Regina let Emma pet him a little longer before nudging her gently. "You know what you have to do."

Emma sighed before bending down and picking up Bambi. She set him into the box that was his carrier and carried him to the bug. They had already been out two times and had yet to find Bambi's mom and sibling. Emma hoped that third time was the charm.

Once they got to the forest, Emma and Regina walked around, gazing through the trees for any sign of deer.

"Emma look," Regina whispered, pointing to the right. "There they are."

Sure enough, Bambi's mom and sibling were by the river. Emma set down the box and lifted Bambi out carefully before setting him on the ground. "There you go buddy. Go find your mommy."

Bambi looked at Emma and his surroundings before bounding off towards his family. Emma smiled as they left together, as a family.

"See?" Regina said. "You can save anyone. Even little fawns."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Let's go home."


	320. Day 320: Little Letters

Emma sipped her coffee as she walked into the station. Chances are today would be like every other day in Storybrooke: nothing exciting.

The most exciting case that Emma and David had ever handled was finding Leroy after he had gotten drunk and then run off, starting fires throughout the town. Other than that, the only other recurring case was Pongo running away.

"Anything?" Emma asked, sitting down at her desk.

David shook his head. "No reports of anything overnight, and nothing yet this morning. I have high hopes that maybe Leroy is seeing Archie for his drinking."

"Are we talking about the same Leroy?" Emma asked.

"Good point," David said. "Maybe he just told me that to get me off his case."

Emma laughed. "That sounds more accurate."

She and David both set to work on paperwork that Regina gave them just to occupy their time and help them earn their pay. Not that they needed to. There really weren't any bills in Storybrooke since Regina had created it all.

By lunchtime, Emma could have sworn that she was losing brain cells. Paperwork was so dull, and she had nothing to show for her hard work except for the huge pile of papers with her signature.

"Is it bad that I'm wishing for a murder?" Emma asked.

David laughed. "Not when I'm wishing for the same thing."

"Maybe if we did the murder that would make things more interesting," Emma said. "Plot twist, it was the sheriffs."

"Don't think Regina would take too kindly to that," David said, signing another paper.

They both laughed. Boredom always led to desperation.

At that moment, a little piece of paper flew into the room and landed right in front of Emma. Emma looked at it skeptically before picking it up and unfolding it. Magic items always made her nervous.

 _I love you_

Emma smiled. There was only one person who could have written that. Or at least she hoped it was the person she was thinking of.

Looking closer at the note, Emma noticed that there was an arrow pointing to the edge of the paper. Flipping it over, Emma read the next part of the note.

 _My message will disappear within 10 seconds. After it's gone, write yours down and whisper my name. The paper will know where to go._

 _Regina_

Emma smiled even wider. This was like passing notes back and forth, only it was with magic and they were in different parts of town.

Once Regina's message was gone, Emma wrote down hers and sent it back to Regina. If David noticed the goofy smile on her face, he didn't say anything.

* * *

The flying note passed back and forth between Regina and Emma all day, usually just little messages about their day or how much they couldn't wait to see the other later. They could have texted, but Emma liked the more romantic approach of the little notes.

By the time Emma headed home, the note had been passed back and forth about 200 times. It had been a good day.

"I'm guessing by the smile on your face that you enjoyed the notes?" Regina asked, walking in behind Emma.

"Very much so," Emma said. "Probably the most exciting part of my day."

"You know, I could create some cases for you," Regina said.

"Pity cases?" Emma asked. "I don't think David would appreciate those."

"Not pity cases," Regina said. "There are genuinely some people in town that I would love to murder. Would add a nice plot twist if I happened to leave something of my sisters lying in the scene of the crime."

Emma burst out laughing. "You can't actually do that."

"I know," Regina said, chuckling. "But the look on your face was totally worth the suggestion."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Not that I would protest is Zelena just happened to turn up somewhere. Or didn't show up. That part would be up to you."

Regina laughed. "Everyone would know that it was me."

Emma shrugged. "Worth it."


	321. Day 321: Live

**Sorry it took me so long to get these up, but no one left me prompts while I was gone and I had a hard time coming up with ideas.**

Regina walked into Emma's hospital room carrying her usual bouquet of flowers. Thanks to her, Emma's room looked like a greenhouse. Not that Emma would protest. She loved that Regina cared.

By now, Regina knew that asking how Emma was didn't really do anything. She had given up a long time ago that Emma would ever get better. No matter what the doctors said, it was clear to both Emma and Regina that Emma would never get better.

"Morning," Emma greeted as Regina walked into the room. "You brought daisies this time."

"They looked like a happy flower for such a gloomy day," Regina said, setting them on the table at the end of Emma's bed.

"You know that I have to do this," Emma said. "It isn't going to get better. And I can't live like this."

"Just because you can't move your legs doesn't mean that you can't keep living," Regina said, sitting on the edge of Emma's bed. "We could still be happy."

Emma sighed. "I'm supposed to be the Savior. How can I save people when I can't walk ever again? Besides, it isn't just the walking. We both know that it's spreading."

Regina swallowed the lump in her throat before reaching out to brush some of Emma's hair out of her face. "I know."

A couple months ago, a car had hit Emma in her rush to chase down Pongo. Her spinal cord had been injured, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. But, in doing an examination of her spinal cord, the doctors had also found an aggressive form of leukemia in Emma's bloodstream. There was nothing they could do.

"What does Henry think?" Emma asked.

"That he's going to miss you terribly, but that this is a much more peaceful way to go," Regina said. "He didn't want to be here though."

"I don't blame him," Emma said. "I wouldn't want to sit by my mother's hospital bed and watch her close her eyes and never wake up."

"Don't talk about it like that," Regina said, squeezing her eyes shut to combat the tears gathering in them. "Just don't."

Emma reached over and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it as hard as her weakened state would allow her to. "Look at me."

Regina shook her head. If she looked at Emma, she knew that the tears threatening to fall would cascade down her face in a heavy waterfall that would never stop.

"Please," Emma pleaded. "Let me look into your eyes one last time. I need to see the eyes of the woman that I love the most. Just one last time."

Slowly, Regina opened her eyes. She could barely see Emma through the blur of her tears, but registered that Emma had tears falling down too. Neither of them wanted it to end like this.

"I love you," Regina said, sniffing. She wiped at her eyes, trying to clear her vision. She wanted to see Emma.

"I love you too," Emma said. "Come here."

Regina carefully lay down next to Emma, putting her head on Emma's chest. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina, sighing in comfort as she simply enjoyed Regina's presence.

"What am I going to do without you?" Regina whispered. "I can't live without you."

"Yes you can," Emma said. "You'll have Henry, and Henry is half me. It'll be like having me with you. And I'll always be watching over you to make sure that you live. You have a whole life ahead of you. Live it."

"But I don't want a life without you," Regina said.

"Life doesn't always go according to plan," Emma said. "But that doesn't mean that you stop."

Someone knocked softly on the door, and Regina could tell by the frame that it was Whale. He tentatively opened the door, not saying a word as he saw Regina with Emma. "Ready when you are," he said.

Emma nodded, indicating that she was ready. "Will you stay?" she asked Regina.

Regina looked up at her and kissed her gently. "For as long as you want me to."

* * *

Regina breathed in the fresh air from the window of her apartment. Well, as fresh of air as New York could have anyway.

After Emma had died, Regina had packed up all of her and Henry's belongings and left town. She had left Emma's belongings in the mansion in case Snow or David wanted anything, except for her signature red jacket and her bug that Regina now was the driver of. Those two things had left with them.

Henry was enjoying life in New York. He went back to Storybrooke on his own every once in awhile just to see his grandparents and old friends, but Regina refused to go back.

That town was a part of her past, and she honestly didn't miss anything in it except for Emma. But like Emma had said, she would be with Regina always. All Regina had to do was live.


	322. Day 322: Ex

**So funny thing: when an ex is being rude to you and you have a new person in your life, watch out. New person may go after old person.**

Emma looked excitedly at her phone as it beeped indicating that she had gotten a text. The day was boring, and it would be wonderful to be able to talk to her girlfriend.

Instead, it was a text from a number that Emma didn't think she would ever see again. They had called things off because of his family not approving of her. Apparently you could do better than a girl that had spent her life running on the streets.

Not that she blamed him. He had said all of the right things, gaining her love and trust, and then had dumped her like she had meant nothing to him for the past 6 months. Emma ran as far away from him as possible, but she had forgotten that she had the same phone that she had then.

"Are you okay?" David asked, setting a coffee on her desk. "You're staring at your phone."

Emma jumped. "Sorry. I'm fine. Thanks for the coffee; I'm probably going to need it. Bit of a boring day so far."

"It's always a boring day," David said, sitting down heavily in his chair. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

Emma chuckled before jumping as her phone beeped again. This time it was who she wanted to talk to. "I'm going to have to run out for a little bit. The Queen is calling."

"Well, it would be rude to ignore a queen," David said. "Best get going."

* * *

"Hey there," Regina said as Emma slid into the other side of the booth. "I thought that you had forgotten about our lunch."

"I just got distracted," Emma said. "Sorry."

Regina examined Emma skeptically. "Are you okay? Something seems off."

"You're the second person that's asked me that today," Emma said. "I'm fine. Just having a really boring day."

Regina pursed her lips. "Do I get the truth now?"

"That was the truth," Emma said. She jumped again as her phone beeped. He always did have the worst timing.

"You just jumped because of your phone beeping, a sound that usually doesn't bother you," Regina said. "So. The truth please."

Emma sighed. "I haven't gotten a new phone since I left New York and I have an ex that's texting me."

"Was this person before or after Neal?" Regina asked.

"After," Emma said. "I had an apartment and everything with my job. Figured it was time to go out into the dating scene and met him."

"You weren't seeing anyone when Henry brought you here," Regina said thoughtfully. "So what happened?"

"He invited me to dinner to meet his parents, and they weren't too keen on the idea that their son was dating someone who had spent more time on the streets as a child then being educated in proper table etiquette," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

Regina laughed. "And he broke up with you after that? That's utterly ridiculous."

Emma shrugged. "I got as far away from him as possible. The apartment that I bought in New York was as far away as I could get without losing my job. I wasn't about to lose that for him."

"So, he's texting you?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "He must have realized that he had my number still and thought that he would try it."

"You should respond," Regina said. "It would be lovely to see his reaction when you tell him how happy and successful that you are now."

"I can't tell him anything," Emma said. "I live in a town that normal people don't know about, and that is full of fairytale characters from another land. Not to mention that I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, _and_ I'm dating the former Evil Queen. Definitely sounds sane."

Regina rolled her eyes. "There's no reason to be dramatic. Have you even read what he's said to you yet?"

"No," Emma said sheepishly. "I didn't want to see what he had to say."

"That's the first step," Regina said. "Read what he had to say."

"Fine," Emma huffed, pulling out her phone. She looked at the messages and groaned. "He wants to meet somewhere since we haven't seen each other in a while."

"See where and when," Regina said.

"What?" Emma asked in surprise. "No way. I don't want to do that."

"Set it up," Regina said. "You won't be the one going."

"No," Emma said. "You are not going to meet him. No way."

"You want him to go away, and I can do that," Regina said. "Trust me. There isn't magic in the outside world so I can't do a lot of harm to him. Let me do this, or don't. Either way I'll still find him."

"Fine," Emma said, handing her phone to Regina. "But behave. He may be an ass, but it was his mother that ruined everything."

Regina shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

* * *

Regina walked into the restaurant, fully confident in her slim-fitted dress. This man was going down.

She instantly knew who he was, not only just because of his aura of arrogance but also because of the text on Emma's phone that indicated what table and seat that he would be at. She walked over and sat down in front of him, ignoring his face of surprise.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I believe you have the wrong table."

"You're Matthew Williams are you not?" Regina asked, folding her hands neatly in front of her.

"Uh yes," Matthew said. "But I'm not entirely sure who you are. I'm supposed to be meeting an old friend of mine here."

"By the name of Emma Swan," Regina said. "I'm well aware of who you're meeting and I'm here on her behalf."

"On her behalf," Matthew said slowly. "What does that mean?"

"That she doesn't want to see you," Regina said. "I'm her girlfriend, and would appreciate it if you would stop contacting her. Otherwise I'm sure the police would love to meet you as well."

Matthew sat in shock as Regina stood up and walked out. Her job had been done.

* * *

"And he just sat there?" Emma asked, laughing.

Regina nodded. "His mouth was just hanging open. It was quite annoying. I don't think you're missing out on anything to be honest."

Emma smiled before leaning over to kiss Regina. "I know I'm not. I have you."


	323. Day 323: Diet

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, dropping the book she was holding in surprise. "Why is all of that going into the trash?"

"Because it's unhealthy," Regina said, tossing another box of junk food into the trashcan. "We need to start eating healthier, and the first step is getting rid of the junk food."

Emma reached into the trash and pulled out the last box Regina had thrown it. "You're getting rid of Oreos? That's just cruel!"

"I wasn't called the Evil Queen for nothing," Regina said, pulling the Oreos out of Emma's hands and putting them back into the trash. "If you want a snack, there's plenty of fruit or vegetables in the fridge."

Emma's nose wrinkled in disgust. "You've got to be kidding me."

Regina chuckled. "You won't die if you don't have junk food. Besides, it's better for you anyway."

"Since when did you go on a health kick?" Emma asked, reaching down to pull an Oreo out of its case.

Regina slapped her hand away. "I've always been on a health kick. This is just the first time that I'm fully enforcing it. Trust me, you'll start feeling much healthier and your body will feel more at ease without all of that junk."

Emma looked sadly at the trashcan. "That's to be determined. Does Henry know about this?"

"Not yet," Regina said, pulling out more food and throwing it away. "Although he should be home-"

"What are you doing?" Henry asked, dropping his backpack on the floor. "Why are you throwing all of the good tasting stuff away?"

"Good tasting stuff?" Regina asked. "Fruits taste good, don't they?"

"Yeah but not as good as these," Henry said, holding up the bag of marshmallows to prove his point. "You can't throw all of this stuff away."

"Watch me," Regina said, taking the bag from him and throwing it into the trash. "I am your mother, and as such, I am allowed to determine your diet."

Henry groaned. "Are you on one of your health kicks again?"

Emma snorted. "Told you."

"I have always been on a health kick," Regina argued. "You two have just never noticed."

"So if you're on such a big health kick, why do you always get a shake when we go to Granny's together?" Henry asked innocently.

Regina glared at him. "I thought we had agreed to keep that a secret."

"You're getting rid of the junk food," Henry said. "All cards are on the table now."

"I like to indulge myself every once in awhile," Regina said. "That doesn't mean that I pig out like you two do."

"So what if we make a deal," Emma said.

Regina shuddered. "I hate deals."

"Not like Gold's kind of deal," Emma said. "Our own kind. You let us keep the junk food, and in return we'll only pig out once a week instead of all of the time."

Regina looked at them both skeptically. "And you promise that you'll stand by this deal?"

Henry and Emma nodded. Regina sighed. She couldn't resist their identical pleading eyes no matter how hard she tried. "Fine."

Emma and Regina both laughed as Henry practically dove into the trash to pull out the junk food that Regina had thrown away. He started putting them all back where they belonged, happy that Regina wasn't as uptight as she used to be. He supposed he had Emma to thank for that.

Emma walked over to Henry and gave him a discreet low five. "She didn't even find our secret stash."


	324. Day 324: Bed Sharing

**I could really use some prompts you guys!**

Regina couldn't believe it. She had another woman in her bed. And not just any woman. She had Emma Swan in her bed.

The evening had started off normally enough, with Regina and Henry having their usual Friday night movie. They had invited Emma, but she had made some excuse about needing to spend more time with her parents. Even Henry had seen through her lie.

About halfway through the movie, the doorbell rang. Regina paused the movie and walked to the front door, forgetting to check who was on the other side before just opening the door. Luckily, it was only Emma.

"You opened the door really fast," Emma said.

Regina looked at her in confusion. "Was I not supposed to?"

Emma sighed. "What have I told you about checking the door before opening it? I could have been someone coming to kill you."

"I am fine," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "Are you going to come in or just stand out there?"

"Uh, come in I guess," Emma said, stepping inside.

"So what changed your mind?" Regina asked, closing the door. "I thought you had something going on tonight with your parents."

"They have plans," Emma mumbled.

Regina saw something flash behind Emma's eyes, and she instantly didn't like it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Emma said. "What movie are you guys watching?"

"Ratatouille," Regina said. "Henry decided that we needed to watch a movie about cooking rats for some reason. I don't think rats can actually do that."

"That's why it's a movie," Emma said, chuckling. "It isn't meant to be real."

"Well since you're here, would you care to join us?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "I could use some mindlessness right now."

* * *

After the movie had ended, Henry fell asleep quickly on the floor. Regina laid a blanket over him and gestured for Emma to follow her out of the room. She knew by now not to wake Henry once he was asleep.

"So, what did you think?" Emma asked, taking a seat next to Regina at the kitchen table.

"It was interesting to say the least," Regina said. "I never thought that I'd have to admit that a cartoon rat cooks better than I do."

Emma laughed. "I highly doubt that. I've tasted your food before."

Regina smiled. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a while before Emma yawned. And yawned again. Regina smiled as she saw Emma trying to hide it. "Perhaps you should go home to get some rest."

Emma looked down at her feet. "I don't think that I can go back to the apartment quite yet."

"Why not?" Regina asked.

"I overheard them talking," Emma said. "They were talking about leaving town. For good."

Regina eyes widened in shock. "They want to leave? But once they do, they won't have any memories of this place. They'll never come back."

"That's their plan," Emma said. "You know, keeping Neal safe and all that. Don't want to put him in any more danger."

"And leave you behind?" Regina asked. "They wouldn't do that."

"They sounded serious about it," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "And they have no problem being separated from me. Clearly."

"You worked through the wardrobe issue," Regina said gently. "Don't use that as a reason that they would want to leave. Did you talk to them about it."

Emma smiled guiltily. "You know me. I left before they could see me and say anything."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You and your running."

Emma laughed. "I'm sorry. But I didn't want to go through that. I just wanted to come here and be with you and Henry."

"I don't mind," Regina said. "But what I do mind is how you look like you're about to drop from exhaustion."

Emma shrugged. "I can run on coffee tomorrow."

"Or you could just sleep here," Regina said. "I have several guest rooms."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "I don't want to be a burden."

"You are one of the few people in this town that I can stand," Regina said, standing up. "Come on. You're never a burden."

Emma followed Regina upstairs with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

Regina woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of her door opening. She tensed, feeling her magic rising up to protect her if needed.

The person who had opened the door walked over to Regina's bed, stopping at the edge. Regina quickly rolled over and lit a fireball in her hand, ready to throw.

Emma jumped back. "Whoa, it's just me!"

Regina quickly extinguished her flame. "Emma, what are you doing in here? I could have killed you!"

"Sorry," Emma said. "I just couldn't sleep."

Regina scooted over, pulling the covers up and looking at Emma expectantly. Emma just looked at her in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"Clearly or I wouldn't be holding the covers like this," Regina said. "Now are you going to get in or not?"

Emma slowly crawled into bed next to Regina. This was weird, and yet it felt so right. Why did it feel so right?

"I'm not going to kill you in your sleep," Regina said, chuckling at Emma's slow movements.

"I know," Emma said, lying down. "Although you did try to kill me with an apple turnover."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I thought we had moved past that."

"We did," Emma said. "I just like bringing it back up to always hang over your head."

Regina burst out laughing. "You are a pain in the ass Emma Swan."

"Right back at ya Regina Mills," Emma said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Regina said. She glanced over at Emma curling up to sleep and thought about how much she loved the Savior. Maybe one day she would have the courage to tell her so.


	325. Day 325: Something New

**This chapter is for swanqueen927654 with the prompt: "Regina wants to try something new (you can decide what) and asks for Emma's help with it."**

"I need your help with something," Regina said.

Emma looked at her in surprise. "You're admitting to needing help? That's a new one."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I'm serious. There's something that I want to try, but I know that I won't have the courage to do it on my own."

"And that would be?" Emma asked.

"I want to skydive," Regina said, watching Emma for her reaction. As far as she knew, Emma wasn't afraid of heights. But you could never be sure. Someone could suddenly be afraid of heights when being forced to jump out of a plane.

"You're kidding, right?" Emma asked. "You don't actually want to try that."

"Why not?" Regina asked. "There are so many things out in the world that I've had yet to try, and Henry thought that I could start a list. The first is to skydive."

Emma sighed and silently cursed Henry. "Regina there are much more easier things to do to get you started in trying new things. You don't need to go straight to jumping from a plane."

"Are you trying to convince me to do something else because you're scared?" Regina asked.

"No," Emma said. "I've done skydiving before. But you've barely ever left this town before. Think about it. You were overwhelmed just being on the ground in the outside world. Can you imagine what being in the sky jumping from a plane would do to you?"

Regina sighed. "That's on my list too."

"What is?" Emma asked.

"I want to try living out of town, with no magic, for a week," Regina said. "I've never known what it was like to live anywhere that magic doesn't exist."

"Why can't you just try something in town?" Emma asked. "There has to be something around here that you haven't done before."

"Why are you so insistent on me not trying something new?" Regina asked. "It's like you're hiding something."

"The world is a cruel place, Regina," Emma said. "I can't let you go out there without magic. Magic is your protection. If the parachute doesn't open, you can't poof yourself to safety. If someone tries to mug you, you can't choke them."

"But I think you're forgetting that you'll be with me," Regina said. "So, let's both try something new. We leave town for one day to go skydiving. I get to cross that off of my list, and you get to see that for once you don't have to always save people. Sometimes, they can save themselves."

Emma sighed. "Fine."

* * *

"Still want to do this?" Emma shouted over the wind as the door to the plane opened. She and Regina were completely geared up and ready to go. The only thing left was to jump out of the plane.

"Of course!" Regina shouted back. "I said that I wanted to try this, and I intend to. I never back down from a challenge."

"I've noticed," Emma mumbled, thankful for the wind for covering up her voice.

"Get ready!" the instructor yelled. "We just reached optimal height for the jump. Go!"

Regina and Emma both jumped one by one out of the plane. Regina couldn't believe it. She was flying. Well, not really, but she was falling with style.

In all of her years, Regina had never experienced anything like this before. Henry had been right. The list that she was making was definitely something that she needed to continue.

"This is amazing!" Regina shouted.

Emma laughed. "Just don't forget to pull the parachute!"

They fell farther and farther toward the ground, pulling their parachutes at the right moment. They peacefully floated towards the ground, landing gently into the grass.

"That was the best thing I have ever done in my entire life," Regina said, staring up at the sky. "I didn't realize that jumping out of a plane could be so wonderful."

"Just don't do it when we're on a normal plane," Emma said.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm not that stupid."

They laid in comfortable silence just gazing up at the sky before Regina spoke. "I wanted for the longest time to just leave town. And now that I finally have, I'm not sure I ever want to go back."

"But what about magic?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "I don't need to have it, it's just convenient. Besides, it's not like I'm the most popular person in town."

Emma chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that."

"What if we just never went back?" Regina asked. "We could pick up Henry and just leave town forever."

"But your home is there," Emma said. "Where would we go?"

"I don't know," Regina said. "But my home is wherever you are."

 **There was a Toy Story reference in there :)**


	326. Day 326: Golden Kitty

**This chapter is for Lanafan7151977 with the prompt: "Regina and Emma turn Rumple into a talking cat for a day to teach him a lesson."**

 **I saw this and started hysterically laughing at what I could do, so here we go.**

"You know, Gold has been a real pest lately," Emma said.

"When isn't Gold a pest?" Regina asked. "That man has been meddling in other people's business for as long as I can remember."

"So, let's do a little meddling of our own," Emma said. "I may or may not have overheard Belle talking about how she wants a pet of some kind. But Gold won't budge because he thinks that they're nothing but a mess and she'd get too attached to it."

"I don't think I'm going to like where this is going," Regina said.

"We turn him into a cat for a day," Emma said. "That'll teach him to stop meddling in other people's business because he'll know that we can meddle with his too."

Regina chuckled. "A cat?"

"It was the first animal I thought of," Emma said. "Plus, that's the kind of pet that Belle wanted anyway."

"Well, then I guess I have a potion to make," Regina said. "I'll meet you in my vault in an hour."

* * *

"This place still creeps me out," Emma said, walking into the room. "Not that it isn't handy to have. But still. There's hearts everywhere."

Regina shrugged. "I've gotten to used to the cries of agony that echo from the south chamber."

Emma looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

Regina burst out laughing. "I'm kidding! You should have seen your face though, it was priceless."

"Funny," Emma said. "Did you make the potion or not?"

"Yes," Regina said, holding up a little bottle. "He won't be able to taste a thing. Belle will wake up tomorrow morning next to the kitty that she's always wanted."

"And he won't be able to talk to her?" Emma asked.

"The only person who will be able to understand him will be the person who creates the potion," Regina said. "In this case, me."

Emma smiled. ""Let's go make a kitty."

* * *

"There they are," Emma whispered. "What's the plan again?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You make some kind of commotion while I'm over close to their table and then I pour the potion into his drink."

"Okay got it," Emma said, getting out of the booth.

She instantly saw her opportunity as Ruby came walking by her with a tray of food. Emma stuck out her foot, tripping Ruby and making the tray for up in the air.

"I'm so sorry!" Emma said, holding out a hand to help Ruby to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ruby said, taking Emma's hand. "I hope I didn't get any food on you."

"No, I'm fine," Emma said. "It looks like the tray landed safely on the floor." She saw out of the corner of her eye, Regina dumping the potion into Gold's drink as it sat on the tray. Identifying his was easy. He got the same thing every time.

"Good," Ruby said. "I'm just going to clean this up."

Emma just smiled and went back to her booth, smiling the whole way. "This is about to get good."

Regina chuckled as she slid into her side of the booth. "One kitty, coming right up."

The next morning, the whole diner was buzzing. Belle sat in her usual booth, cuddled up with a very unhappy looking gray cat.

Regina covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. "He looks like he's plotting so many murders with everyone who touches him."

Emma glanced over at the booth. "I think that's the most love he's ever experienced."

Regina laughed. "I think you're right."

"I also think that we should go over and meet this new kitty," Emma said, getting up. "Would hate for him to feel unwelcome."

"I couldn't agree more," Regina said, following Emma over to Belle.

"Hi guys!" Belle said excitedly. "Look at what I found! I woke up this morning to this little guy on the other side of the bed. Rumple must have given him to me as a present."

The cat glared at Regina. "I know that you can hear me, and that you're the one who did this."

Regina just smiled. "You're very right."

"What?" Belle asked.

"You're right, he gave the cat to you as a present," Regina said, covering for her talk to the cat. "He was talking about it the other day."

"Oh, how sweet of him," Belle said, stroking the cat's head.

"What do I need to do to get out of this form?" Gold asked. "I can't take any more people touching me and calling me adorable."

Regina snorted. She started tracing letters onto the table for Gold to see.

"Meddling is what I do dearie," Gold said. "I can't just stop because of your little cat trick."

Regina traced onto the table again.

"Fine!" Gold said. "I'll stop meddling. I don't want to stay a cat forever."

Regina smiled. "I'm not sure how much longer he'll be around. He seems like a sort of free spirit. I don't think he'll still be with you tomorrow morning."

Belle's smile disappeared before quickly coming back. "Then I guess we'll just have to make the most of this day!"

As she hurriedly left the diner, Emma turned to Regina and started laughing. "I don't even feel bad."

Regina laughed with her. "Neither do I."


	327. Day 327: Rejoining

**This chapter is for Samantha S Dracul with the prompt: "You could make a story in which the Evil Queen and Regina decide to rejoin, but if they figure out how to do it, they must live together with Emma and the children."**

 **Swan-Mills family kiddos will be mentioned in this chapter but not physically in it.**

"I think I know how to rejoin with the Evil Queen," Regina said. "And I want to do it."

"What?" Emma asked. "No way are you rejoining with her."

"I have no choice," Regina said. "She's managed to get herself out of snake form, and now all she'll do is go back to wreaking havoc on the town. I can't let that happen. I need to stop her while I still can."

"How are you even going to do that?" Emma asked. "I'm sure Jekyll would have loved to rejoin with Hyde and end his reign of terror but they never did."

"That's because Jekyll didn't know what he was doing in the first place," Regina said. "He was experimenting and made the first serum by accident."

"Again, how do you plan on getting her back inside you?" Emma asked.

"It's very experimental," Regina said. "But I'm thinking that if I make the same serum and drink it again, we should go back to being one body."

Emma bit her lip. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"No," Regina admitted. "But I have no choice. It's my fault that she's destructing the town, and I need to stop her."

"There's other ways to stop her then rejoining with her," Emma argued. "Think about the three kids upstairs-"

"I am thinking of them, and that's why I have to do this," Regina interrupted. "I can't sleep at night for the fear that she's going to come and take one of them. If she's with me, she can't do anything to hurt any of us."

"But it's so risky," Emma said. "What if she just tries to kill you from the inside?"

"Once we rejoin, the only thing that will change is that I'll start having the impulses to kill people again," Regina said. "Or take revenge. But it's the me now that will be in charge and keep her under control."

"I know that you need to do this," Emma said. "But is it worth it?"

"I let her out and now she's destroying everyone's happiness," Regina said. "This has been my problem since I first set her free."

Emma sighed. "Okay. I'll help you."

* * *

"How's it going?" Emma asked, walking into Regina's vault.

"I figured it out," Regina said, smiling triumphantly. "I just need to mix a few final things and then it's done."

"Do you need to be by her to rejoin?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "That's where you come in. I need you to use yourself and Henry as bait so I can drink the potion from the sidelines. If she knows what's happening, she'll just kill me. She'd rather die than be back inside me."

"Why Henry and I?" Emma asked.

"Because she knows that I would rather die than have anyone I love be hurt by her," Regina said. "And we can't use Ava and Lola, they won't understand. She'll take you and Henry and use you against me to stop me from stopping her."

"But you'll take the potion before she can do anything, right?" Emma asked.

"Of course," Regina said. "I would never let her do anything to you or Henry."

Regina held up the vial containing the serum and smiled. "Victory. Now let's go rejoin with her and get this over with."

* * *

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Henry asked. "We're walking in the forest like we're live bait."

"We are live bait," Emma said. "We just have to keep walking until she shows up."

"And if she never shows up?" Henry asked.

Emma shrugged. "Then we go home and try again tomorrow."

Henry sighed and started kicking up rocks as they walked along. He just wanted to go home, not wander around being bait for an evil woman who wasn't his mother.

"You look deep in thought," the Evil Queen said, stepping out from behind a tree. "Be careful, thinking too hard could give you wrinkles."

"Stress also gives you wrinkles, and you've been causing plenty of stress," Henry countered.

The Evil Queen smiled. "You're getting better at your comebacks. I'm so proud."

"He is nothing like you, so stop right there," Emma said.

Regina listened as Emma and Henry kept the Evil Queen distracted. She pulled the top off of the vial containing the potion and stepped out from behind the tree she was hiding from. She had to get closer or this wouldn't work.

Stepping closer, Regina downed the potion. She shuddered as it passed completely through her, causing the Evil Queen to shudder as well. She spun around to face Regina, pure fury on her face. "What have you done?!"

"Fixed the problem that I first created," Regina said, stepping closer to her other half. "I never should have let you out, and now I'm fixing my mistake. For the town and for my children."

"You're going to regret this," the Evil Queen hissed.

Regina shrugged. "Maybe. But you've been on my back about being weak, and this is being the opposite of weak. I don't want you back in me. But I have to. And that's being brave."

The Evil Queen screamed as she dissolved and was sucked back into Regina. Regina gasped and fell to the ground, clutching at her heart.

"Regina!" Emma shouted, running over and dropping to the ground beside her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina said. "This may sound odd, but I feel more like myself than I have since I let her out."

"She's not hurting you, right?" Henry asked.

"No," Regina said. "I'm just fine."

Emma studied her carefully. "Okay. Well, in that case, I think it's time we told the town that the Evil Queen's reign of terror has ended."

Regina smiled. "I like that idea."


	328. Day 328: Demon on Wheels

**This chapter is for tvaddict2011 with the prompt: "Emma rides a motorcycle, you can decide Regina's reaction."**

"You're always looking for new things to try, right?" August asked.

Emma shrugged. "I guess. What did you have in mind?"

August smiled. "Ever ridden a motorcycle before?"

"There's no way that I could do that," Emma said. "Regina would most likely kill me if I showed up at home riding a motorcycle."

"And?" August asked, smirking. "Keep her on her toes."

"Okay," Emma said, smiling. She took the helmet from his hand. "Think you could give me a crash course on how to ride this thing?"

* * *

"Uh, mom?" Henry called. "You're going to want to come see this!"

Regina walked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "See what?"

Henry pointed out of the front window. Regina looked outside and saw a motorcycle pull into the driveway. August's motorcycle to be exact. Only it wasn't August who was riding it.

"Oh she is so dead," Regina said, opening the front door and speed walking to where Emma was.

Emma took off the helmet and smiled at her wife. "What do you think? It's an awesome ride. August made a good choice choosing this one."

"Are you crazy?" Regina hissed. "You could fall off of that thing and die."

"Not likely," Emma said, getting off of the motorcycle. "I have a helmet on, which is at least some protection."

"The rest of your body doesn't have a helmet on it," Regina argued.

"You've never ridden one of these, have you?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "No, and I don't plan to. That thing is a demon on wheels and I refuse to even touch it."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic over things you haven't tried before. You hate things that are new because you don't like the unexpected."

"Not true," Regina said, crossing her arms.

"No?" Emma asked. "You threw a fit the other day because I microwaved the butter instead of heating it up in a pan."

"So?" Regina asked. "I don't even know why I have a microwave. It doesn't serve a purpose."

"It heats things up faster than a pan on the stove," Emma said. "Look, riding a motorcycle is like riding a horse, only the horse is made of gears and metal. It can tip over and crush you, you can lose your balance and fall off-"

"You're naming such great things," Regina said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're missing the point. What I'm saying is that motorcycles and horses are equally as dangerous. And yet you rode horses."

Regina sighed. "Fine. You make a good point. But if you hurt yourself don't expect me not to say I told you so."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Emma said, leaning over to kiss Regina before putting her helmet back on. "Think you would let Henry ride one of these someday?"

"Heck no," Regina said. "But nice try."

Emma shrugged. "Worth a shot. You never know, he could just hop on while I'm not on it."

"What?" Regina asked. "Emma!"

Emma just laughed and drove away.


	329. Day 329: Magic Mistake

**This chapter is for angie with the prompt: "Emma and Regina are best friends, co-parenting Henry (robin and hook are already out of the pic) and have feelings for each other. One night they act on these feelings (could be slightly buzzed) but don't talk about it, pretending nothing happened because they're scared. Two months later Regina finds out she's pregnant (magic is powerful in that way), tells Emma, and happy ending.**

"You know, for two women who hated each other, we've come a long way," Emma said, sipping her cider. She knew that Regina had put something alcoholic in it, but she honestly didn't mind. After all, it was called liquid courage.

"I can agree with that," Regina said. "I went from trying to kill you to co-parenting with you. I'd say that's quite a leap."

Emma laughed. "Agreed. I'm glad you're not trying to kill me anymore."

"Yes well, I've come to be rather fond of you," Regina said. "Can't kill the only person who puts up with me on a daily basis."

"I don't put up with you," Emma said. "I chose to be your best friend."

"And that's how I knew you were crazy," Regina said. She took a sip of her cider, enjoying the warmth that quickly spread through her body.

"I am not crazy," Emma pouted.

Regina just raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh."

Emma just rolled her eyes. They sat together in comfortable silence until both of their glasses were drained. If Emma was honest with herself, she felt buzzed. "I should probably head home."

"Are you sure you should be driving?" Regina asked.

"I've had worse," Emma said, standing up. She swayed lightly, taking a moment to regain her balance. "I'm okay."

"You are not," Regina said, pushing herself off of the couch and swaying as well. She hadn't realized how drunk she was as well.

"I need to go home or my parents will throw a fit," Emma said, stepping towards the door. Her knees slightly buckled and Regina quickly reached over to catch her. Emma straightened back up and turned around to look into Regina's eyes. Regina's eyes were beautiful. How had she never realized that before?

"Emma?" Regina asked. "Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, Emma pulled Regina to her in a passionate kiss. After a second of shock, Regina unfroze and returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion. They broke apart, panting.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere else," Emma whispered.

Regina nodded before grabbing Emma's hand and leading her upstairs. "I can think of a place."

* * *

The next week passed as if nothing had happened. Both Regina and Emma had woken up the next morning hung-over and instantly had known that what had happened between them had been a mistake. A mistake that could ruin everything.

So they had continued as if nothing had happened. Both were scared to say anything to the other because neither was ready for any kind of commitment. Their friendship was on the line.

If anyone noticed them acting differently towards each other, no one said anything. Everyone operated under the impression that Emma and Regina were just best friends and nothing more. Nothing would ever change between them. Right?

* * *

Regina groaned from her bed as she felt another wave of nausea hit her. This had been happening every morning for the past few weeks and it was really starting to grate on her nerves. Why couldn't she just get one morning off?

"Mom?" Henry called tentatively. "Should I make my own breakfast? I don't want to be late for school."

"No, I'll get it," Regina said. "Just go downstairs, I'll be there in a second." Several beats passed before Henry finally went downstairs. Sighing, Regina got out of bed and ran straight to the bathroom, throwing up her dinner from the night before.

After she was done, Regina flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth to get the taste out of her mouth. She splashed water on her face before walking downstairs, ready to make Henry's breakfast. She would just be late to work. Again.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked. "You didn't sound too good when I came into your room."

Regina managed a weak smile. "I'm fine Henry. Don't you worry about me. Just have a little stomach bug is all."

"Are you sure it's a stomach bug?" Henry asked. "You've been throwing up for awhile now, and stomach bugs never last that long."

Regina shrugged. "Food poisoning then."

Henry shook his head. "Would have been gone in a day."

"Well then what are you suggesting?" Regina asked.

"You could be pregnant," Henry said, taking a bite of toast. "All of the signs are there. Morning sickness, mood swings, that glow."

"I am not pregnant," Regina said. "I made sure that wouldn't happen a long time ago."

"Yeah but True Love can fix anything," Henry said.

"Robin isn't in the picture anymore, so how would that happen?" Regina asked.

Henry got up and put on his backpack. "I wasn't talking about Robin." Before Regina could say anything else, Henry was already out of the house.

Biting her lip, Regina considered her possibilities. She could just take the test to humor Henry and show him that he was wrong. Then again, what if he was right?"

"This is ridiculous," Regina said. She poofed a couple pregnancy tests into her hand before storming up to the bathroom. No way was she going to let fear win. Now all she had to do was hope for the best.

* * *

"You were right," Regina said as Henry walked in the door.

"What?" Henry asked. "What was I right about?"

Regina held up the pregnancy tests she had taken. "I took all 3 of these. Every one of them came up positive. So I guess you were right."

Henry clapped excitedly. "I've always wanted a younger sibling. Just wait until we tell Emma tonight at dinner!"

Regina's eyes widened. "No! You can't tell her."

"Why not?" Henry asked. "She's part of our family, and she should know that there's a new member on the way. Speaking of which, who's the father?"

"I can't tell you," Regina said.

"You mean you don't know?" Henry asked.

"Of course I know!" Regina scolded. "I just can't tell you for this person's reputation in the town."

"It'll leak eventually that you're pregnant," Henry pointed out. "You might want to tell Emma before she hears it from someone other than you."

"She doesn't need to know tonight," Regina said. "I'll tell her when I see fit."

Henry went to argue, but just then the doorbell rang. He ran off to answer it, and Regina sighed in relief. "Saved by the bell." She started to think about how everything was going to change now. And what Emma's reaction was going to be. If Regina ever told her.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, shaking Regina's shoulder slightly.

Regina jumped. "I'm fine. Just zoned out there for a second."

Emma looked at Regina skeptically. "My superpower just went off. Want to tell the truth now?"

"Not now," Regina said.

"Why not?" Emma asked.

Henry looked back and forth between them. Tension was rising quickly in the room. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Mom's pregnant!"

"Henry Daniel Mills!" Regina exclaimed.

"I couldn't take it anymore!" Henry shouted. He took a deep breath, calming down. "You two have a nice talk. I'm gonna go to my room before you kill me."

Regina glared after Henry as he ran from the room. Finally she just sighed and rested her head in her hands.

"So," Emma said awkwardly. "Is it true?"

Regina slowly nodded.

"Okay," Emma said. "Who's the father?"

"There is no father," Regina said, still covering her face. "It's you."

Emma's jaw dropped. "What? That's not humanly possible. I mean, it can't be. Right?"

Regina just shrugged. "Magic."

"Magic," Emma repeated. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She and Regina were going to have a baby together. That was a crazy thought.

Regina peeked hesitantly through her fingers to see Emma's reaction. She didn't appear to be freaking out. Then again, she wasn't jumping for joy either. Sighing, Regina covered her face fully again.

Emma reached over and gently pulled at Regina's hands. "Hey. Look at me."

Regina slowly put down her hands and looked at Emma. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to. If you don't want to have anything to do with this child I won't hold it against you-"

Regina," Emma said, cutting her off. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't see what we did as a mistake, and I definitely don't see this child as an accident. Maybe this was supposed to happen in order to bring us closer together."

"I don't want you tied to me because of this," Regina said.

"I'll be tied to you because I chose to be," Emma said. "I want to help with this baby and I want to be in its life. Nothing will change my mind. We're going to get through this together. Okay?"

Regina smiled and nodded. "Okay."


	330. Day 330: Odd Duck

**This chapter is for KatDee with the prompt: "Please make an Ava centric one. Preferably one where she seem to question her status in the family because she's not biologically related to anyone of them but of course Mama Regina would be there to talk her out of her insecurities."**

 **I know I said that I wouldn't do Swan-Mills anymore, but they've been gone for awhile and I thought that I'd give you guys a treat since I missed yesterday.**

"Something's wrong with Ava," Regina said, walking into Emma's office.

Emma jumped at the sudden appearance of her wife. "Hello to you too. What do you mean there's something wrong with Ava?"

"I was dropping her off at school this morning and once she got out of the car with Henry and Lola she went her own separate way," Regina said. "As if she wasn't related to them."

Emma sighed. "Oh."

"Oh?" Regina asked. "That's all you're going to say about this?"

"Regina, calm down," Emma said. She pointed to the chair across from her. "Sit."

Regina looked at Emma in surprise. Emma never ordered her around. Slowly, she walked over and sat in the chair.

Emma leaned back in hers. "I had been hoping that we would have been able to avoid this issue, but I guess not."

"What issue?" Regina asked.

"Ava feels like the odd duck of the family," Emma said. "She doesn't feel like she belongs, and that Henry and Lola would be happy on their own without her there."

"No way," Regina said. "They love her."

"But she doesn't see it that way," Emma said. "All she sees is that Henry and Lola are biologically related to us. Ava isn't."

"Henry is only biologically related to you," Regina said in confusion.

Emma sighed. "That's beside the point. The point is that both Henry and Lola are blood related. Ava is on the outside with no ties to us whatsoever."

"So what do we do?" Regina asked.

"Talk to her I guess," Emma said. "All we can do is tell her that blood doesn't matter and that she's our daughter no matter what."

"Okay," Regina said. She got up, but stopped at the door and turned back to Emma. "You're not an odd duck either you know."

Emma smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know."

* * *

Regina knocked gently on Ava's door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Ava said, closing her book and setting it off to the side. "What's up?"

"You know that blood relations don't mean anything, right?" Regina asked, sitting down on the edge of Ava's bed.

Ava sighed. "I guess."

"Ava," Regina said. "I don't love you any less because you're not related to me by blood."

"I know," Ava said quietly.

"Henry isn't even related to me," Regina said. "He's Emma's son. The only one of you three that I'm actually related to is Lola. Families aren't always straightforward. But we still love each other anyway and we make it work."

"But I'm still the odd one," Ava said. "I'm broken. Henry and Lola both grew up being loved and in a family."

"You are not broken," Regina said firmly. "You are anything but broken. Sometimes, you're the glue that holds our sanity together. Without you, this family would have killed each other by now."

Ava laughed. "I doubt that. But I get your point."

Regina pulled Ava to her and hugged her tightly. "Sometimes the odd ducks are the most special. Keep that in mind."

Ava hugged Regina back. "I will."

* * *

"Crisis averted?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "Our family can go back to its normal dysfunctional ways."

Emma laughed. "Sounds about right."

"So," Regina said. "About being an odd duck."

"You're not an odd duck," Emma said. "If anything, you're the most normal duck in this family."

"I wasn't talking about me," Regina said gently.

Emma winced. "Let's not talk about that."

"We're talking about it," Regina said. "Because I can tell that for every problem that you know how to deal with for Ava, you've dealt with yourself."

Emma shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"No?" Regina asked. "Then let me guess. You feel like an odd duck because your parents having a new little family started and you don't fit into it. You missed out on being the child in their lives and now it appears that they've moved on without you and you're the daughter that doesn't quite fit into the picture."

Emma took a shaky breath. "That's not-"

"Don't say it's not true," Regina said. "We both know it is."

Emma sighed. "Okay fine. It's true. I don't fit into the perfect little life that they have now and I feel like an odd duck."

Regina pulled Emma in for a hug. "It's their loss."

Emma smiled. "That's debatable."

"No it's not," Regina said. "They're missing out on the cutest duck I've ever seen."

Emma burst out laughing. Regina smiled at the sound. If she could get Emma laughing, things didn't seem quite so bad.

"I love you," Emma said.

"I love you too," Regina said. "My little odd duck."


	331. Day 331: Switching Roles

**Okay guys as much as I love you I can't do several parts for every chapter. The point is to have individual days; I just sometimes have to make exceptions when the days get too long. I've gotten a lot of requests to make different parts for chapters and I can't.**

 **Anyway, enjoy today's chapter!**

Regina pulled off onto the side of the road, parking her car where no one was likely to see it. The goal was to be far enough away from the town that no one would be able to find her. Then again, no one was likely to come searching.

She hadn't been entirely honest with Zelena and Robin. She knew how to get rid of the barrier around the town. But it wasn't wise to let them leave. Someone needed to keep an eye on them.

Just by looking at them she knew that they were good together. They both had the darkness in them that she had chosen to get rid of. Robin had chosen to move out of her house and move in with Zelena, who was more than happy to take him in. Regina didn't find that hard to believe.

It wasn't that she had feelings for Robin anymore. She had been saddened by his death not because she loved him but because he had died not knowing how she had really felt. He had died for a woman who didn't love him back.

It was this realization that had led Regina to take in the current Robin. But he clearly didn't need her help. No one did.

Emma could continue raising Henry on her own. Emma was his biological mother anyway, and they had a better connection. No one would care if Regina left town. They would probably rejoice. Plus if she left the town, the Evil Queen could possibly be powerless. Without her other half having magic, the Evil Queen's supply would be gone.

Regina pulled the bottle out of her pocket containing the correct serum to create a hole in the barrier. As soon as she stepped through it would close behind her, sealing her fate. Popping the cork out of the top of the bottle, Regina poured a drip onto the town line. The barrier hissed and created a perfect hole for Regina to walk through.

"Regina!" Emma called. She ran to where Regina stood and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving," Regina said. "It's better this way."

"Says who?" Emma asked. She tried unsuccessfully to pull Regina away from the town line. "You don't need to do that. Henry needs you. I need you."

"You have a family of your own and Henry has you," Regina said, pulling out of Emma's grasp. "There is no reason to stay."

"Normally I'm the one running and you're the one catching me," Emma teased. "Guess we're switching roles."

"In which case, this is when I leave," Regina said.

"Please," Emma pleaded. "Don't go. You can't leave, not with your evil twin running around town."

"Once I leave, her powers should go away," Regina said. "It's a good thing that I'm leaving."

"But at what cost?" Emma asked. "Henry will lose his other mother. I don't know him as well as you do. He needs both of us, not just me. We both know that if you leave he will destroy himself trying to go after you."

Regina looked down at her feet. "I'm leaving to protect him."

"You can protect him and still stay here," Emma said. "You have magic."

"I'm not strong enough to face her," Regina said. "She knows everything about me, including my insecurities and weaknesses."

"Then you don't face her alone," Emma said. "We can do this. We've defeated her once before together and gotten out of that mirror realm. We're stronger together, Regina, and that means that I need you to stay. Please."

Regina turned and looked longingly out of the hole in the barrier. This was a chance for her to start over. To be looked at as someone who hadn't caused an evil being to bring chaos to the town. She knew they blamed her for it.

"I can't start over here," Regina said quietly. "I need to be someplace where no one knows who I am or what I've done."

"You can start over here," Emma said. "If we defeat the Evil Queen, you'll be seen as a hero. No one will look at you as that evil person, but rather someone who saved the town."

"I will always be the Evil Queen to them," Regina said sadly. "No matter what I do, chaos and destruction follow me. Perhaps by leaving, I'm saving the town from that."

"Chaos and destruction are a part of life," Emma said. "That isn't your fault."

Regina shrugged. "Maybe not. But that doesn't make it any easier."

"If life was easy, we wouldn't be where we are now," Emma said. "We've learned so much from everything that we've been through. Whether you like it or not, we're a team. And team members don't let their other members quit."

Before Regina could do anything, Emma secured one handcuff around her wrist and another around Regina's. "There. Now you're stuck with me."

Regina jiggled the handcuff. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Emma said. "I know that only one person can go through that hole, and it looks like you're stuck to me. Guess you can't leave."

Regina glared at Emma. "That's cheating."

"Also a part of life," Emma said. "I'm doing it for your own good. I know you. My mom told me how you wanted to rip your heart out to get rid of the pain of missing Henry after the second curse. Believe me, I would have wanted to do the same."

Regina sighed. "You're right. And I know you're right. But-"

"But nothing," Emma interrupted. "You really have no choice now." She held up her arm that was cuffed to Regina's to emphasize her point.

Regina chuckled. "I suppose I don't. But I do have a question. Why do you care so much if I leave or stay?"

Emma shrugged. "I need you as much as Henry does. I couldn't just let you run off thinking that no one cares about you, because we do. I do."

"You do?" Regina asked.

"I wouldn't have handcuffed you to me if I didn't," Emma said.

"Speaking of that, are you going to take this off?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "Not until that barrier closes."

"It won't close until something goes through it," Regina said.

Emma bent down and grabbed a rock off of the street and threw it through the hole. Within a few seconds, the barrier snapped closed.

After Emma had tested the barrier to make sure that it was still up, she unlocked the cuffs to set Regina free. Regina chuckled as Emma put the cuffs back on her belt. "Those finally came in handy."

"Not my fault that no one is trying to get arrested," Emma pouted.

Regina laughed. "No, you just have to save mayors from leaving the town."

Emma smiled. "I could think of worse jobs to do."


	332. Day 332: Playing Cupid

**This chapter is for Angie with the prompt: "Werewolves can smell True Love, and Ruby smells it between Emma and Regina, but both are oblivious to what the other person feels. Deciding to take matters in her own hands, one day in the diner she starts commenting to Regina saying how happy she is that Emma is into women and then flirts with Emma. Regina is not happy and kisses Emma out of impulse, then asks her out."**

 **There was an ending suggesting Red Beauty but I don't really ship Belle with anyone. She's too independent and doesn't need anybody.**

Ruby looked up as the bell to the diner chimed. She instantly smiled at seeing who had entered. Regina and Emma were once again back for their usual lunch, and Ruby could once again smell the True Love that they brought with them.

It was honestly sad. They had the most beautiful thing possible, but neither knew how the other felt. Ruby felt like the only way the two of them would ever realize their love for each other would be if someone interfered.

Ruby smiled. She knew exactly who that someone could be. All she had to do was wait for the right moment.

"Granny," Ruby whispered. "I need your help."

"What'd you do this time?" Granny asked.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Nothing. I need you to call over Emma and keep her occupied so I can talk to Regina."

"What are you up to?" Granny asked. "Is this about the bet that everyone has going? Because you know that interfering disqualifies you."

Ruby sighed. "I don't care about the bet. I want Emma and Regina to be happy. They've both deserved it."

"Fine," Granny said. "I'll make up something. Emma!"

Emma looked over at Granny and smiled guiltily at Regina before coming over. "Yes Granny?"

"I'm having some troubles with Leroy and I think you should hear about them," Granny said. "I promise that I won't take up much of your time. But as sheriff you should know."

"Of course," Emma said, taking a seat at the bar. "What's going on?"

Ruby smiled. Emma couldn't resist the chance to help someone out. It was in her blood. Still smiling, Ruby walked over and slid into the booth across from Regina.

"Ruby," Regina greeted. "Nice to see you with a little more clothes than usual."

Ruby chuckled. "Funny that you noticed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Regina asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Just a little observation is all. I can tell that you have feelings for a certain person in this diner. Who also happens to have boobs."

"Ruby!" Regina hissed. "Keep your voice down."

"Why?" Ruby asked. "It isn't something to ashamed of. You guys could be great together."

"Don't be so sure," Regina said. "I doubt that she feels the same way. And it would be worthless to ask, because I never get a happy ending."

"Well," Ruby said, sliding out of the booth. "It just so happens that Emma is also into women. How convenient for me."

She sauntered away, not glancing back to see Regina's facial expression. Emma and Granny were still talking, but Granny wrapped it up seeing Ruby coming over.

"Thank you for your help," Granny said, quickly walking away.

Emma looked after her in confusion. "I didn't do anything…"

"Doesn't matter," Ruby said, sitting on the stool next to her. "Granny just likes to talk about her problems with Leroy. He annoys her to no end."

Emma smiled. "Her and everyone else."

Ruby smiled back. "It was so sweet of you to help her out. It must get exhausting having to help everyone in town all the time. It's so sexy."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise. "It's what?"

"Sexy," Ruby repeated. "What, never had anyone call you sexy before? Because if you haven't heard it by now, they don't know what they're missing."

"Ruby, why are you flirting with me?" Emma asked. "You know that I don't like you like that."

Ruby shrugged. "I don't really like you that way either."

Emma looked at her in confusion. "Then why did you-"

"So that I'd do this," Regina said. Emma turned to face her in surprise, and found Regina's lips on her own. She froze for a second before kissing Regina back. It felt right. Love and magic surrounded them both, making the kiss even better.

They broke apart, instantly smiling at each other. The other people in the diner cheered, each of them feeling happy after the feeling of magic and love had left the room.

"So," Regina said. "I do believe that this means I should take you on a date."

"Aren't you supposed to kiss _after_ the first date?" Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "I think we've established by now that I don't do things the 'normal way'. That's no fun."

Emma smiled before pulling Regina to her for another kiss. "No fun at all."


	333. Day 333: Delicious Revenge

**Just a quick little note because this bothered me. The person who gave me the prompt for Day 332 was happy with the chapter. Prompts let me use my own creative license. Please don't tell me how to write my own story. Thanks.**

Regina slowly opened the back door and quietly slipped out into the backyard. She crept over to the stump of what once was her beautiful apple tree that Emma had chopped down. How rude.

They had moved past it though, and were now even in a relationship. But Regina needed the help of the tree. Her poison apples grew on this tree, and right now Regina needed a poison apple.

Regina wrapped her magic around the stump and made the tree grow to its full height, producing the most beautiful apples she had ever seen. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

Smiling, Regina reached up to one of the lower branches and plucked an apple from the tree. There was a reason she loved this tree. It had come with her from the Enchanted Forest, and produced the most delicious poison apples. Perfect for revenge.

Henry walked downstairs, rubbing his eyes. He was up earlier than usual, but had felt that something was off. He supposed he got that trait from Emma.

He got to the kitchen just as Regina walked back inside holding her apple. She quickly poofed it away, but not before Henry could see it.

"What was that?" Henry asked. "It looked like an apple."

"You must be seeing things," Regina said. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Why do you have an apple?" Henry asked. "Emma chopped down the tree."

Regina sighed. "Henry, sometimes I have to do things without you knowing. Don't worry about the apple."

"So there is an apple," Henry said triumphantly.

"Yes, there is an apple," Regina said. "And the tree is back because I missed it. I like having one handy just in case I need it."

"To use on someone?" Henry asked.

"Depends," Regina said. "Sometimes, it's just a good threat."

"A good threat," Henry repeated slowly. "Does Emma know that you brought the tree back and have apples?"

"No," Regina said. "And we're going to keep it that way. No telling her."

"Who are you going to use it on?" Henry asked.

"You're going to be late for school," Regina said. "Go get dressed."

Henry sighed before going back upstairs. There was something fishy going on, and he was sure Emma could get to the bottom of it.

* * *

"A poison apple?" Emma asked, walking into Regina's office.

Regina jumped at Emma's sudden appearance. "What happened to knocking?"

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "Why do you have a poison apple? And why did you grow the tree back?"

"I needed the apple, and I can't have the apple without the whole tree," Regina said. "Why I need the apple isn't important."

"We both know that's not true," Emma said. "You wouldn't have it unless you were planning on using it on someone. So, who's the victim?"

"It doesn't matter," Regina said. "It's no one that you or I care about."

"And that's a good reason to put them in a deathlike sleep by apple?" Emma asked. "You've been doing so good resisting the darkness. What happened?"

"I need to keep you and Henry safe," Regina said. "The easiest way to do that is to make this person go to sleep."

"And you're keeping us safe by poisoning someone?" Emma asked. "That sounds like a great plan."

"I'm glad you think so," Regina said.

Emma glared at Regina. "That was sarcasm."

"I know," Regina said. She ran her fingers through her hair. "If I could just negotiate with her I would."

"Her?" Emma asked. "Are you talking about Zelena?"

Regina winced at the mention of her sister's name. "I don't like her, but no. That's not who I'm talking about."

Emma looked at Regina in confusion. "Then who?"

"Lily," Regina said. "She hates your parents, and you. I can't let her go after you or Henry because of some huge mistake that your parents made. She needs to be stopped."

"And you think that she's just going to accept an apple from you?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "She has no idea who I am. It'll just seem like a kind gesture."

"You can't do that," Emma said. "And I'm not just saying that because she used to be my best friend. Think about what it will do to you."

"I don't care about me," Regina said. "I care about you and Henry. My heart is already dark. I might as well continue making it darker."

"No," Emma said. "You don't need to do this. She's bonding with Maleficent now, and I have no doubt that they'll just be living out in the woods together. Leave it alone."

"And when she comes for you?" Regina asked.

"Maleficent just wants to move on from the whole thing," Emma said. "She wouldn't let Lily do anything that would ruin everything."

"Fine," Regina said. "I won't use the apple."

"Just to make sure," Emma said, holding out her hand. "Give me the apple."

"That's not necessary," Regina said. "I'm not going to use it."

"Regina, please," Emma said. "I just need to be sure you won't use it."

Regina sighed before poofing the apple into her hand and giving it to Emma. "Fine. Can I keep the tree up though?"

"Of course," Emma said. "I know how much you love that tree. Just no more apples. I love you too much to let you give yourself to the darkness again."

"Okay," Regina said. "I won't give myself to the darkness."


	334. Day 334: Face Off

**Sorry for not posting yesterday, I got food poisoning and it was not a fun time. This chapter is after Regina says that she's going to go face off the Evil Queen in last week's episode.**

"Regina!" Emma called, running to catch up with her as she left the diner. "Wait!"

Regina stopped but didn't turn to look at Emma. "You know that I have to do this."

"You don't," Emma said. "She's going to kill you. We both know that she's ruthless and will do anything to get rid of you."

"She can't hurt me without hurting herself," Regina said. "Unless she has some trick up her sleeve."

"She has all of your darkness," Emma said. "I can't let her hurt you."

"It's my fault that she's here," Regina said. "I have to end this once and for all, no matter what it does to me. Even if she kills me, it will be for a heroic cause."

"I am not going to lose you to your worse half," Emma said. "Henry and I can't live without you, and you're putting yourself in immediate danger."

Regina finally turned to face Emma. "There's a chance that I could reunite us. She'd be gone for good."

"But then you'd be dark again," Emma said.

Regina shook her head. "I'd be back to how I was before we separated. No one is supposed to be a completely good or evil."

"And if she kills you from the inside?" Emma asked.

"Stop freaking out," Regina said. "Everything will be fine."

"Oh yes, because it's just an everyday thing to rejoin with your evil half, or fight her to the death," Emma said sarcastically.

"Normal in this town," Regina said. "You have to trust me. I can do this, and then everyone will be safe again."

"At what expense?" Emma asked. "You could die."

"Could means that there's a chance that I won't," Regina pointed out.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I'm serious. What happens if she kills you? She'll completely destroy the town and ruining everyone's happy endings. She'll probably even take Henry to try and be his mother."

Regina shuddered at the thought. "I can't promise that things won't end as planned. But I have to try."

Emma bit her lip before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Regina. "Please don't leave me."

Regina squeezed Emma gently. "I'll try my best."

* * *

Emma paced back and forth in the diner, waiting anxiously for Regina's return. It had been what felt like hours since Regina had left for her encounter with the Evil Queen, and Emma's panic was slowly increasing.

"Emma, maybe you should sit down," Snow suggested.

Emma shook her head. "I can't."

Snow went to say something else, but the bell on the door of the diner cut her off. Emma spun around, instantly running over and bear hugging Regina.

"I'm fine," Regina said before Emma could ask. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're alive and that's all that matters to me," Emma said, burying her face in Regina's neck. "I was so worried this whole time."

"I know," Regina said. "But everything is over now. You don't need to worry about the Evil Queen anymore."

"You're not dead," Emma mumbled.

Regina chuckled. "No, I'm not." She rubbed her hand up and down Emma's back to soothe her.

"She's been pacing this whole time," Snow said. "I was worried she was going to wear the tile through to the ground."

"She didn't hurt you at all?" Emma asked.

"Just a little throwing around and sword fighting," Regina said.

Emma pulled away. "Sword fighting?"

"I'm fine," Regina repeated. "Neither of us scratched the other."

"Probably because she didn't want to hurt herself," Snow said.

"About that," Regina said. "We're kind of separated now."

"You're what?" Emma asked.

"Separated," Regina said. "She wanted to kill me without killing herself, so she cut the bond between us."

"So is she dead?" Emma asked. "If you're separated that means that you could kill her."

Regina shook her head. "I gave her some of my light and took some of her dark. She's a changed person now."

"You didn't kill her?" Emma asked.

"I didn't need to," Regina said. "There's always a way around killing someone. She sees that now too."

"And she's not going to come after you?" Snow asked.

"No," Regina said. "She won't come after any of us ever again."

"I'm proud of you," Emma said, hugging Regina again. "But don't ever scare me like that ever again."

Regina chuckled and hugged her back. "I'll try my best."


	335. Day 335: Wardrobe

Emma ran her fingers over the article that had haunted her for as long as she could remember. A picture of her, wrapped in her blanket from the Enchanted Forest, gazed back at her. By now, Emma had the article memorized.

"What're you looking at?" David asked, walking into the station. "That looks like a beat up piece of paper."

"It's an old newspaper article," Emma said. She set it carefully back inside of her drawer, not bothering to tell David anything more on the subject.

David looked over in concern at Emma. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," Emma said. "Nothing happened overnight, so you don't need to worry about any new paperwork. Should be a pretty boring shift."

"Are you sure you're okay?" David asked. "Something seems off."

"I'm fine," Emma said, turning her attention back to her computer. "Don't worry about it."

"Usually when someone says that, it means that I should worry about it," David said. "So spill. What's going on?"

"I said that it's nothing," Emma said.

"Does this have to do with the fact that today is Neal's birthday?" David asked.

Emma winced. "Let's not okay? We have a job to get done."

David sighed. "Emma-"

"You know, I think I'm going to go for a walk," Emma said, standing up and putting on her jacket. "I'll get in touch later."

"Emma wait," David pleaded. But his plea fell on deaf ears. Emma had already left.

* * *

"I thought you were working on running from confrontation," Regina said, stepping out of the alley and walking beside Emma.

Emma jumped. "What the hell? How did you know where I was?"

"I knew what today was and what it would do to you," Regina said. "I've been keeping an eye on you all morning."

"Stalker," Emma mumbled.

Regina rolled her eyes. "So what's going on?"

Emma sighed. "Today is Neal's birthday and I know that they're going to have this big thing planned. My first birthday I was in a foster home with 10 other kids."

"You envy him," Regina said.

"Sort of," Emma said. "But more than anything I wish that my parents could see where I came through. How I was left in the woods with only a little boy to help me."

Regina bit her lip before speaking tentatively. "So let's show them."

"What?" Emma asked. "They won't want to leave town."

"They might if you tell them why," Regina said. "You can't just go the rest of your life not telling them any of your problems."

"They didn't care about my problems until my magic got out of control and I hurt people," Emma said. "Then they were concerned."

"That's not true," Regina said. She sighed as Emma raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay maybe a little true. But that's not the point."

"How is that not the point?" Emma asked.

"The point is that they are your parents and should know what's troubling you," Regina said. "They care about you, and want to know if something is going on."

Emma sighed. "I'm not sure I want to go back there."

"I'll go with you," Regina said. "You won't be alone, and then they can see what your life started out as."

"Fine," Emma said. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"I've never been outside of town before," Snow said excitedly. "This is kind of exciting!"

"Until you see where we're going," Emma mumbled. She was the one driving since she knew how to get to her tree by heart. She had been there too many times not to know the way.

"Where are we going?" David asked. "Regina just kind of showed up and told us to get in the car."

"You'll see," Emma said.

They drove for some time in silence before Snow spoke again, this time to David. "Are you sure Neal will be okay with Ashley? I don't want anything to happen to him."

Emma gripped the steering wheel so tightly Regina was afraid she would rip it off of the car. She reached out and gently covered one of Emma's hands with her own, rubbing her thumb over the top of Emma's hand until she relaxed her grip.

"We're here," Emma said softly, pulling over onto the side of the road and parking.

Snow and David looked around in confusion. "Where is here?" David asked.

"You'll see," Emma said, getting out of the car.

Snow and David followed behind quietly, taking in their surroundings. This is not what they had expected the outside world to be like.

"Why are we in a forest?" David asked. "It doesn't look like there's anything around here."

"We're here," Emma said, stopping in front of her tree.

"A tree?" Snow asked. "We drove out of town for a tree?"

"Not just any tree," Emma said quietly. "This is the tree that the wardrobe was connected to. I came through this tree to this world."

"Oh," David said. He reached out and gently touched the tree. "This is a nice tree."

Snow reached out and touched the tree delicately as well. "Thank you for helping us give our daughter her best chance."

Emma's knees slightly buckled at hearing those words. She hated hearing that. Regina quickly reached over and wrapped an arm around Emma's waist, steadying her and holding her close. Emma gratefully leaned on Regina for support.

"Why did you bring us here?" David asked.

"To show you how my life really started," Emma said. "You thought that you were giving me my best chance. But you were really sending me straight to hell."

"You weren't dead," Snow said in confusion. "That's not possible."

Emma glared at her. "It's a figure of speech. I would have been better off with you guys. Instead, I was sent to this world through a tree with only a little boy to protect me. A little boy who ended up abandoning me at the first chance he got."

David looked at Emma in shock. "He wasn't supposed to-"

"I know," Emma said. "But he did. Instead of being raised by two loving parents like Neal is, I was raised in homes with different siblings and parents until I finally ran away."

"That's why you were acting so weird this morning," David said. "Today is Neal's birthday, and a reminder that you spent your first birthday with a family who wasn't really yours."

Emma nodded before pressing further into Regina's side. Snow and David watched as Regina leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's head before whispering something in her ear. Emma nodded before slowly stepping away from Regina and walking to the tree.

Reaching out, Emma pressed her hand up against the tree. She smiled as she felt the magic pulse beneath her fingers. Magic wasn't supposed to exist in the real world, but she and this tree had a magical connection somehow. "Thank you for keeping me safe," she whispered.

She walked back to Regina and grabbed Regina's hand in her own before they both headed back to the car, followed by David and Snow.

Before Emma could get in the car, Snow grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I'm so sorry for everything you went through. And I'm sorry if it seems like we're celebrating Neal more."

Emma smiled before hugging her back. "That's all I needed to hear."


	336. Day 336: Signing

**So I'm trying to teach myself sign language for fun, and so far it's awesome.**

"We need some kind of secret code," Emma said, walking into Regina's office urgently. "Just in case something happens to one of us and we need to communicate."

"You want to invent a new language?" Regina asked, completely unfazed by Emma's random entrance into her office. She did it all the time.

Emma shook her head. "I want to teach you one that I know that doesn't require speaking. Then we can communicate without whoever has us being able to tell what we're saying."

"Are you expecting to be kidnapped sometime soon?" Regina asked, looking up at Emma in amusement.

"With this town, it wouldn't surprise me," Emma said. She started pacing back and forth, resisting the urge to bite her nails. Regina would just call her out on it.

Regina studied Emma closely. "What's bothering you so much that you want to teach me another language?"

"I just have a bad feeling," Emma said, continuing to pace.

Regina stood up and walked around her desk, leaning on it to study Emma closer. "Your bad feelings don't usually leave you restless enough to pace the floor like a caged animal."

"Something isn't right," Emma said.

Regina gently reached out and grabbed Emma's arm before pulling her close. "Take a deep breath before you give yourself a panic attack. I'll learn whatever language you want me to just to be prepared. Okay?"

"Okay," Emma said, relaxing slightly in Regina's arms.

"So what am I learning?" Regina asked.

Emma smiled. "Sign language."

* * *

Regina was a quick study. Whether it was due to her magic of just her dedication to learning to calm Emma down, she had learned all there was to know about sign language within a month.

Emma was a great teacher, and admitted she had learned sign language while on the streets to communicate with another kid her age. She didn't feel as lonely when they had talked.

Nothing had happened to the town in that time, but Emma's bad feeling was starting to get worse. It had even begun to give her nightmares.

"This is getting out of hand," Regina said, running her fingers through Emma's hair. "I don't know what's going on, but something needs to happen so that the feeling you're having goes away."

"I know," Emma mumbled. "I have a feeling that it will be soon."

"How soon?" Regina asked. She didn't know if Emma would know the answer to that, but she was curious.

Turns out, Emma didn't have to answer. At that moment a crash sounded down the hall and there was a shout. Emma and Regina both froze before jumping out of bed at the same time and running down the hall. The commotion had come from Henry's room.

"No!" Emma shouted. Henry's sheet and comforter were thrown to the floor, but they boy himself was missing. Emma clutched the end of Henry's bed for support as the room began to spin. Bile started to rise up in her throat, but she tried to swallow it down. Henry. Poor Henry.

"Emma," Regina said, cupping Emma's face in the palms and forcing Emma's eyes to meet hers. "Take deep breaths. Relax. I know who took him and how to get him back. But we can't do that if you don't calm down."

Emma nodded, taking deep breaths. "Why aren't you more freaked out by this? You always freak out when Henry is in danger."

"Because this time, the person who took him is inexperienced in kidnapping and left behind a ton of clues that lead us directly to where he is," Regina said. "We work together well, and we'll get him back in about half an hour."

Emma looked at Regina in surprise. "Who took him?"

Regina pursed her lips. "I don't think you want to know right now. It might send you over the edge. Let's just-"

"No," Emma interrupted. "I want to know who we're facing."

"Hook," Regina said. She pointed at the boot marks on the floor, then at the bottle of rum lying on Henry's bed. "He's obviously drunk, so I don't blame him that much. But we still need to get Henry back."

"You don't blame him that much?" Emma asked. Her eyes blazed with fury as she straightened up. "He is so dead."

* * *

Regina quickly grabbed Emma's arm before she could just storm onto Hook's ship. "That's what he's going to expect you to do. Relax."

Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly before walking calmly onto the ship with Regina at her side. Hook's crew stepped out of her way as she wove through them, wondering where Hook could be.

"I was wondering when you would get here!" Hook slurred, walking towards Emma. "Great to see you, love."

"Don't call me that," Emma hissed. "Where's Henry?"

"Down below," Hook said, chuckling. "Can't come up until we make our deal."

"Deal?" Emma asked. "There is no way that I will ever make a deal with you."

Regina gently nudged Emma to get her attention. _Easy_ , she signed. _He is drunk and unpredictable._

"What did you just do with your hands?" Hook asked. "Did you just cast some sort of spell?"

"No," Regina said. "My hands were getting anxious and I needed to shake them out."

Hook looked at her skeptically. "Very well. Now then, back to our deal."

"There is no deal," Emma said. "We're taking Henry and we're leaving."

Hook's crew moved closer, ready to pounce in case Emma or Regina made any sudden moves. Regina looked around and inwardly cursed. Emma wasn't the negotiating type.

 _Now what?_ Emma signed frantically. _We're surrounded and still have no Henry!_

 _How confident are you in your magic right now?_ Regina signed back.

Emma shook her head. Regina cursed again. They really needed to work on Emma's magic in stressful situations.

"Well lookie here," Hook drawled. He looked close to passing out, but Emma had no doubt he would hang on for a long time.

"What deal do you want?" Regina blurted out, ignoring Emma's glare.

Hook smiled. "Finally. A reasonable woman."

Regina had to grab Emma's arm to keep her from grabbing around Hook's throat. "What do you want?"

"Easy," Hook said. "I want Emma's hand in marriage."

Emma held up her left hand, which already had a ring on it. "I'm already taken. But nice try."

Hook shrugged. "That doesn't mean anything to me. Promise to marry me and I'll give back your son."

 _What do we do?_ Emma signed. _I'm marrying you._

 _I know that,_ Regina signed back. _Let me poof to where Henry is. Be ready to fight if you have to._

Emma shook her head frantically. _I can't fight! My magic doesn't work under stress!_

 _No time like the present!_ Regina signed, poofing away.

"Where did she go?" Hook asked. "Has she gone to set the boy free? Crew, attack!"

The crew moved towards Emma, ready to take her down. Emma panicked as she felt her magic rising. She didn't want to hurt people, and it was this distraction that usually was her downfall without Regina at her side.

"She went home," Emma said weakly.

"You are a terrible liar," Hook said. "It's something that I always loved about you. I do love you, Emma. And that's why I'm doing this."

Emma jumped as she felt two of the crewmembers grab her arms. She didn't like being touched. Not by people she didn't know.

Her magic lashed out on its own and sent the whole crew to their knees. She shuddered, as the feeling of their hands didn't leave her skin. She'd be having one heck of a shower later.

"Ma!" Henry called, running over and hugging her tightly. "You used your magic under pressure!"

Emma smiled shakily. The stress of losing Henry and using magic was catching up to her quickly. Regina noticed and immediately ran over, using some of her magic to give Emma some energy back.

"You dare defy me on my own ship?" Hook roared. "We'll see about-"

His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground, snoring loudly. Emma laughed. "The rum finally caught up to him. Come on, let's go home."

Regina smiled before signing one last word. _Home._

 **I was originally going to describe each sign and have them be choppier in their talking, but that got too complicated. Some signs are hard to explain without just showing someone.**


	337. Day 337: Safe House

Emma groggily opened her eyes to see Regina looming over her, shaking her frantically. She quickly blinked to clear her vision, noting that it was still dark in the bedroom.

"What's going on?" Emma asked, rubbing her eyes. "It's really early. Or late. It's still dark out."

"We need to go," Regina said, tugging on Emma's arm to get her up. "Let's go."

"Why do we need to go?" Emma asked. "And where are we going?"

"I have a safe house in my vault that I stayed in at one point when no one was really in favor of me," Regina said. "I'm taking you there."

"You didn't answer my first question," Emma said. "Why do we need to go?"

"Not important," Regina said, tugging harder at Emma's arm. "What's important is that you get up so we can leave now while the town is sleeping."

Emma tried to pull her arm from Regina's grasp. "Let go Gina."

Regina shook her head. "We need to go."

Emma looked at Regina closer and saw the tear tracks on her cheeks, and how her eyes showed that she wasn't completely there yet. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Regina looked down at her feet. "Maybe."

"Regina, let go of my arm," Emma said gently. "I'll go with you."

Regina nodded before letting go of Emma's arm. Emma gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the bed in front of her. "What was your nightmare about?"

"You," Regina said softly.

Emma nodded. "What about me?"

"He came after you," Regina mumbled. "With Gold."

"With Gold?" Emma asked. "Gold said that he's on our side. That he's trying to be better for Belle."

"You really believe that?" Regina asked. "He hasn't changed at all in the all the years that I've known him."

Emma shrugged. "You never know."

"I do know," Regina said, shuddering. "He's going to help Gideon and come after you, and they're going to kill you. Then Gideon will become the Savior and go after the Black Fairy. That's why we need to go."

"That was a dream," Emma said soothingly. "Nothing is going to really happen to me."

"You don't know that," Regina insisted. She reached out and grabbed Emma's arm, poofing them to the safe house without any further argument. She had to keep Emma safe.

* * *

"You're making _me_ nervous," Emma said. "Come sit."

Regina shook her head. "I need to make sure that no one barges in here."

"It has a barrier around it," Emma said. "No one and nothing is going to get in here. Now come sit before I just come over and drag you down."

Sighing, Regina reluctantly sat beside her. "There's nothing exciting happening in town if that's what you're wondering."

Groaning, Emma flopped back on the bed. "I need to get out of here. I'm going to die of boredom if I don't leave soon."

"But you're safe," Regina pointed out.

"Safe is boring," Emma said. "I've never been safe in my entire life. I could just walk out."

"You know how well that went for you last time," Regina said. She had set up the barrier so that only she could get in and out. Emma had tried, even using her magic to try and break it out. Regina's magic was stronger than she had thought.

"Regina please," Emma begged. "I'm the Savior. It's my job to be up there taking care of the town, not hiding underground in a safe house."

"You're more important than the town," Regina said.

"Says the creator of the town," Emma countered.

"Oh hush," Regina said, getting up. "I'm going to go check on Henry. Don't go anywhere."

"Regina wait!" Emma exclaimed. "Please. Just let me go outside for one second and then you can keep me here forever."

Regina bit her lip as she thought about it. "Still no."

"Regina," Emma whined.

"I love you," Regina said. "That means that I cannot lose you. And the only way that I can prevent losing you is if I keep you safe."

"I love you too," Emma said. "But I can't stay here forever. Eventually I'm going to have to leave and face Gideon. He won't leave town until I do."

Regina shook her head frantically. "Let's not think about that."

"We're going to have to at some point," Emma argued. "Gideon isn't going to go away, and we both know it. Please."

"Fine," Regina said softly. "But you have to promise me that you're going to stay safe."

Emma sighed. "You know I can't-"

"Promise me," Regina pleaded.

"Okay," Emma said. "I promise that I'll try my hardest to stay safe against Gideon."

Regina sighed before taking down the barrier around the room. Emma smiled before standing up and walking over to wrap her arms around Regina. "Thank you."

Regina hugged her back tightly. "You're welcome. Now do me a favor and don't just run into trouble."

Emma chuckled. "Yes ma'am."


	338. Day 338: Fluffy Texts

**Haven't done a text one in awhile and I wanted to just write some fluff. Emma is bold, Regina is italic. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Emma_

 **Regina? Is everything okay?**

 _You like bear claws, right?_

 **Uh yeah. They're my favorite. Why?**

 _Go look in the cell on the right_

 **No way! There's so many! Wait, why were they in the cell?**

 _Because they're so good it's a crime_

 **I love you**

* * *

 **You look beautiful today**

 _Emma...you didn't even see me today_

 **Didn't have to**

* * *

 _What are you doing?_

 **Laying in bed**

 _You're just lying in bed? Not doing anything else?_

 **I mean, I'm eating a piece of pizza**

 _Of course you are…_

 **Embrace my love of pizza. It isn't going away anytime soon**

 _What would you do if I was in bed next to you?_

 **Eat my pizza…**

 _And if the pizza wasn't there?_

 **I'd get up and go get pizza…**

* * *

 _What do I wear tonight?_

 **You'll look gorgeous in whatever you wear**

 _Cute, but I'm serious. What do I wear?_

 **You could wear this**

 _Did you send me a picture?_

 _There's nothing there_

 _Wait…_

 _EMMA SWAN!_

 **Hehe**

* * *

 **Are you busy tonight?**

 _Let me do something really quick and then I'll be over_

 **If you're busy you don't have to come over, it's fine**

 _No, no, I just cancelled my plans. I'll be over in a second_

 **Why did you cancel?**

 _Priorities_

* * *

 **Can I confess something?**

 _Of course. You know you can always tell me anything_

 **Your smile is the prettiest smile I have ever seen**

 _Can I confess something as well?_

 **Of course**

 _That smile only exists when I'm with you_

* * *

 **You're the cute one and we both know it**

 _Okay but you're sexy_

 **Okay but you're beautiful**

 _I'm not, but I love you for saying that_

 **11:11, make a wish**

 **I love you too, and you are beautiful so don't even**

 _I missed it, but I still wished. Did you?_

 **I wished that we would be together forever**

 _I think that wish will willingly be granted_

* * *

 _You know, as queen I had very many prized possessions_

 **You don't anymore?**

 _Oh I do, just not the same way I used to_

 **What do you mean?**

 _You are my most prized possession. My world. My life. My everything_

 **Are you sure I'm worth it?**

 _Positive. I'll stay with you forever, if you decide you want me_

 **I want you**

 _You have me_

 **Can I keep you?**

 _Forever_


	339. Day 339: Girls Night

**This chapter is for KlaineLoverFan525 with the prompt: "Emma, Regina, and Snow are at the bar having a girl's night after Hook left. Regina finally gets the courage to make a move and get her true happy ending. She goes up to Emma and kisses her and at first Snow is shocked but then starts cheering."**

Emma couldn't believe that Regina and Snow had actually managed to trick her into coming to the bar. It had been a clever trick, calling in a fight, but now she just wished she could be anywhere but here.

Snow was already drunk after one drink, and was currently throwing daggers for her wager against the vikings. Emma was enjoying the entertainment, but she still had the undermining feeling of sadness.

It wasn't that she was entirely devastated that Hook was gone. She thought that she loved him, but him leaving had made her realize that maybe she didn't as much as she thought. Right now, she was more devastated that someone else had left her. Another time her happiness had slipped through her fingers.

"You're still not opening up," Regina said, sitting next to her. "Or watching your mother completely destroy those vikings."

Emma huffed out a laugh. "Sorry."

"I wasn't asking for an apology," Regina said gently. "I came over here because even though you're supposed to be letting go and having fun, you're still sitting over here without anyone to talk to."

Emma shrugged. "No one needs to hear my problems."

"Or maybe they do and you're just not willing to share them," Regina said.

"It's not your problem to have to worry about me," Emma said. "I can deal with this alone and make it just fine."

"You're not alone anymore," Regina said. "Just remember that." She got up without another word, leaving Emma to think about what she had said. Emma sighed and just looked farther into her drink, as if looking for answers.

Why wasn't she more saddened by Hook leaving? It was the concept of being left that was making her upset, not the fact that it was Hook. If Regina just suddenly took off, that would be a whole different-

Emma froze. Why did she care if Regina left? She supposed it was probably for Henry's sake. He needed Regina whether he wanted to believe it or not.

"I totally kicked their butts," Snow said, plopping down next to Emma. "You should have seen their faces when they saw the price of both tabs. Priceless!"

Emma laughed. Drunk Snow was amusing. "I had no doubt the whole time."

"Why are you still over here moping?" Snow asked. "You should be having fun!"

"I'm just enjoying my drink," Emma said. "I don't need to have fun, just need a drink."

"You should be talking to Regina is what you should be doing," Snow said. "She cares about you, and she knows what it feels like to try and keep all of the hurt in. Talking would be good."

"Or not," Emma mumbled.

Snow sighed before getting up and grabbing Emma's arm. She pulled a reluctant Emma over to the pool table, where a man was playing Regina at pool. Both of them looked at Emma in surprise.

"You can play pool?" Emma asked in surprise.

Regina smirked. "I have many hidden talents."

"Winner gets to kiss Emma!" Snow shouted gleefully, winking in Regina's direction.

Both Emma and Regina froze in shock. What was Snow up to? "You are way too drunk," Emma said. "I think you need to just go sit down for a minute."

"I'm fine," Snow protested, but let Emma pull her away anyway.

"What are you doing?" Emma hissed. "Why would you say that my kiss was the winning prize?"

"Because you need to kiss someone to get over Hook," Snow said. "Obviously."

Emma sighed before pushing Snow onto a barstool. "Stay there. I'm going to go get some air." She walked towards the door, stopping when someone grabbed her arm. She turned around, smiling when she saw that it was Regina.

"Going somewhere?" Regina asked.

"Just to get air," Emma said. "I promise that I'll be back."

Regina reluctantly let go of Emma's arm, letting her slip away. She looked over her shoulder, laughing when she saw Snow using a dagger to carve her name into the bar. Aesop didn't seem to care. He was probably used to drunken people.

Walking over, Regina took a seat next to Snow and delicately took the dagger from her before she hurt herself. "Where did you get this?"

"Viking," Snow said, giggling. "He wasn't guarding it very well at all!"

Regina sighed. Now she had drunk Bandit Snow on her hands. "No more stealing or we're going to be kicked out."

Snow's eyes widened. "No more drinks?"

"No more drinks," Regina agreed.

Snow folded her hands in her lap. "I'll be good."

Regina bit her lip to keep from laughing even louder. "You are going to have the worst hangover ever tomorrow morning."

The door to the bar opened, and Emma walked back inside. She didn't look like the fresh air had done her any good, but then again she was very good at hiding her emotions.

Regina took a deep breath before standing up and walking over to Emma. She hadn't had enough alcohol to completely give her courage, but she had to do this. If Emma could change her fate and escape death, she could change her fate and get her happy ending.

"How's Snow?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "As drunk as she was a couple minutes ago. Where did you go?"

"Not far," Emma said. "Just far enough to clear my head."

"Did it work?" Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. "I feel better about things with Hook, but there's still something that's bothering me. Or really some _one_. And my feelings for them."

Regina's eyebrows raised in shock. "You like someone else?"

"I think that I'm just upset at being left, not that it's Hook," Emma said. "I don't know. My brain is all confused right now." She slipped past Regina, walking over to the dartboard and pulling out the daggers. One by one, she threw them at the target. They all landed far away from the mark, but Emma wasn't trained with daggers.

Just as she went to grab them for another try, she felt someone grab her arm. Turning around, she saw it was Regina. With a very determined look on her face.

Emma looked at her in concern. "Are you-"

She was cut off as Regina's lips crashed into her own. Emma immediately returned the kiss, knowing that this was what she had been waiting for. She hadn't been upset about Hook because she was in love with someone else. And that someone was Regina.

They broke apart, both of them panting. "Are you drunk?" Emma asked. She wanted to believe that Regina had the same feelings she did, but didn't want to get her hopes up if Regina's decisions were impacted by alcohol.

Regina shook her head. "Are you?"

Emma smiled. "Not at all. Buzzed, yes. Drunk, no." She grabbed Regina's jacket, pulling her close and kissing her again.

"Hey!" Snow exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. She pointed at Regina. "You're kissing my daughter!"

Regina went to step away, but Emma gently grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Is that a problem?" she asked hesitantly.

Snow's face broke out into a huge smile as she ran over and hugged them both. "No way! I'm so happy for you guys! I've been waiting for this day for forever!" She started to skip around the bar, cheering.

Emma and Regina shared a glance before bursting out laughing. "We need to take her home," Emma said.

"Good idea," Regina said. "Maybe the sleeping curse thing will defeat her hangover."

"Well in that case, I would love a sleeping curse," Emma said.

"Then what happens when you never wake up?" Regina asked.

"I would wake up," Emma said, smiling at Regina. "Because you'd be there to kiss me awake."


	340. Day 340: Moving On

**This chapter is for LittlePenguin93 with the prompt: "Can you write an angsty one about Emma moving on from Regina"**

 **So sorry to hear about your breakup, I know that those suck. Also sorry for not updating, it's been a crazy few days.**

Emma sighed as she unpacked the last box. She had moved all of her stuff from Regina's house earlier that week, but had refused to unpack any boxes until she was sure that Regina wasn't going to call her and tell her that it was a mistake.

Then again, Emma had been the one to call things off, so she doubted that it would happen. She hadn't wanted to break up with Regina, it just hadn't worked out in the end. Emma was starting to become someone she wasn't.

Emma had been raised in the system. She had issues with feeling like she truly had a family. And then there was Regina, who had grown up imagining a life where she could just be free from her mother.

What a pair they had been.

What ruined them in the end was them trying too hard to be True Love's. Snow and David had been together for so long and were still doing fine, and yet Emma and Regina clashed on multiple occasions.

So Emma had tried changing in hopes that it would save what she and Regina had. It only made things worse.

Regina had seen through Emma's act and called her out on it. A fight had erupted in which Emma finally spilled the beans about why she had tried to change. And then she had called things off and left.

Henry had begged them to try and sort through their issues, but Emma wouldn't budge. She knew that she could never be the person that Regina wanted her to be, and Regina would never understand. It was just how it worked.

"You finally finished unpacking," Henry said, walking into Emma's room. She had moved back into the house that she had been in as the Dark One. No one had moved in during her absence.

"I did," Emma said. "Now I just need to give this place a good cleaning. No one's lived here in awhile."

"You could go back to your real home," Henry mumbled.

Emma sighed. "We've been over this. Your mom and I are through. There is no future for us anymore. We're going our separate ways."

"And yet you still live in the same town and work together," Henry said.

"I didn't say I wasn't going to avoid her," Emma said. "We're just going back to how we were before things started. Friends."

"What about best friends?" Henry asked. "That's really what you guys were."

Emma shrugged. "We could become that again. But for right now, just friends is suiting us fine."

"You both miss each other," Henry said.

"I know," Emma said. "But we're both going to move on."

"There's no one else to meet in this town," Henry said.

Emma shrugged. "There's always the option to leave town. Plus there are several people that just came from the Land of Untold Stories. Now help me clean this place up. There's a thick layer of dust on pretty much everything."

* * *

The next morning was the first time that Regina and Emma had interacted since their breakup. Emma may have told Henry that they were friends, but she didn't actually know. She just wanted to make him feel better.

"Good morning," Regina greeted as she walked into Emma's office.

"Morning," Emma said, putting down her coffee cup. "What can I do for you? Doesn't look like you have any work for me."

"I came here for a more personal matter," Regina said slowly.

"Okay," Emma said, giving Regina her full attention. "What's up?"

"What are we now?" Regina asked.

"Whatever you want us to be," Emma said. "This is your town. If you want me to leave, I'll leave. Otherwise, I'm sure we can be friends."

"I don't want you to leave," Regina said. "Friends would be...nice."

Emma nodded. "Okay. Friends it is."

Regina turned to leave Emma's office, but stopped in the doorway to turn back and look at her. "Do you think that we ever could be something again?"

"I don't know," Emma said honestly. "Maybe."

Regina nodded before leaving Emma's office, letting the door click gently behind her. Emma sighed before running her fingers through her hair. Maybe one day they would be something again. But for now, each of them was just going to focus on what was best for them. Moving on.


	341. Day 341: Blessing

**Kind of a spin-off of Hook asking David for Emma's hand in marriage because this is the relationship that should be happening.**

"Why do you keep fidgeting?" Emma asked. "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry," Regina said. "I'm just nervous."

"About what?" Emma asked. "For once, the town is actually peaceful."

"Not about the town," Regina said. "I have plans later that I'm nervous about. Your father suddenly decided that my sword skills weren't up to par."

Emma laughed. "He's going to teach you sword fighting?"

"No, I already know how to," Regina said. "He's just improving my skills."

"Why do you even need to know how to sword fight?" Emma asked. "You have magic. Magic literally beats everything."

"Until you're wearing a magic bracelet that prevents you from using magic," Regina countered. She smirked when Emma paled. She hadn't thought of that.

"Just don't get stabbed," Emma mumbled.

* * *

"Why did you even ask me to do this?" David asked. "You don't need help with sword fighting. I seem to distinctly remember you holding your own when fighting the Count."

"I didn't really come here to get a lesson in sword fighting," Regina said. "Although if you have some tips I would love them. Better safe than sorry."

David chuckled. "So then why ask me to get together with you?"

"I know that we've had rough patches in our past, but I was hoping that you could see past all of that and look more at how much I love your daughter," Regina said.

"Of course," David said. "I'm happy that you and Emma are together. You make each other very happy."

Regina smiled. "I can agree with that."

"Was that all that you needed?" David asked. "Reassurance that I was okay with your relationship with Emma?"

"No," Regina said. "I just more needed to hear that before I continued onto the next part of what I have to say."

"Okay," David said slowly. "Continue then."

Regina took a deep breath. "I was hoping to get your blessing to ask Emma to marry me."

David's eyes widened before his face broke out into a huge smile. He walked forward and gave Regina a huge hug. "Of course you have my blessing."

Regina sighed in relief. "Thank you."

David pulled away from Regina, surprise on his face. "Did you think that I would say no?"

"I didn't know what you were going to say," Regina admitted. "We've had a rough past together, but Emma and I have a great future ahead. I didn't know how you felt about things."

"I am so happy for both of you," David said. "You both deserve to have your happy endings, especially in each other."

"Thank you," Regina said. "Now I just have to plan the proposal."

 **David and Regina: the most underappreciated friendship that could bloom.**


	342. Day 342: Not So Funny

Emma looked up and smiled as Regina walked into the station. "Hey there. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I need something from you," Regina said.

Emma frowned. Something seemed off about Regina. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina said. "I need your key."

"Key?" Emma asked. "I have lots of keys, Regina. You're going to have to be more specific than that."

Regina sighed. "Your key to my house. I need it back. And I'll be poofing all of your things to your old house that you lived in with Hook."

"Are you going somewhere?" Emma asked. "Why would I need to move my things?"

"Because you're moving out," Regina said. She held out her hand, gesturing impatiently for Emma to hand over the key. "I don't have all day."

"Um. Okay," Emma said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her key, dropping it into Regina's hand.

"Thank you," Regina said. She spun on her heel, leaving Emma's office without another word. Emma watched her leave through blurry vision as tears gathered in her eyes. What had just happened?

* * *

"Morning sis!" Zelena said cheerfully, waltzing into Regina's office. "It's such a lovely day outside."

Regina looked outside and rolled her eyes. "It's raining."

"Well there's no need to be so negative," Zelena pouted, sitting down in the seat in front of Regina. She sat for a while before speaking again. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm in such a good mood?"

Regina sighed. "I don't have time for your games, Zelena. Just tell me what you did and get it over with so I can fix whatever mess you made."

"Oh I don't know if you're going to be able to fix this one," Zelena said, chuckling.

"What did you do?" Regina demanded.

Zelena giggled before pulling Emma's key out of her pocket and holding it up for Regina to see. "Recognize this little beauty?"

"How did you get a key to my house?" Regina asked. "No one has one except for myself, Henry, and Emma."

"Well there's your answer," Zelena said. "This is Emma's key. She willingly handed it over."

"Why would she willingly give you a key to my house?" Regina asked. "She knows how much trust is took me to give it to her in the first place."

"Oh did I forget to mention that I looked like you when I asked for it?" Zelena asked, smirking. "Silly me!"

Regina's eyes widened. "You asked for the key back as me?"

Zelena nodded. "And that's not even the best part! I told her that I would pack up her things and send them to her old house that she lived in with Hook!"

Regina's jaw dropped. "Zelena, this is not another one of your funny pranks. You could actually have done damage this time."

"Oh please, I'm sure she knew it wasn't even really you," Zelena said, waving her hand dismissively. "She knows you better than anyone."

"That doesn't really help someone when they're in emotional distress," Regina snapped. She snatched the key from Zelena's hand. "You are going to stay right here while I go fix this. And when I get back, you better have a good apology for Emma or I will make sure to rip out your heart and crush it as slowly as possible."

Zelena gulped. "Got it."

* * *

Regina screeched her car to a halt and jumped out, slamming the car door as she ran up the steps to Emma's house. The bug was already out front, indicating that Emma was home. Hopefully she wasn't too late.

She rang the doorbell, wishing with everything in her that Emma would hear her out before either slamming the door or using magic against her.

The door opened, and Regina's heart broke at Emma's appearance. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and there were tear tracks running down her cheeks.

"What do you want?" Emma mumbled.

"To give you this back," Regina said, holding out the key. "That wasn't me that came to you to take away your key. Zelena was just trying to stir up some trouble and this time she went too far. I should've seen that she was going to go after you, and that is entirely my fault."

"So I don't have to move out?" Emma asked. "This isn't another trick is it?"

"No," Regina said, reaching out with her other hand to gently wipe the tears from Emma's cheeks. "No more tricks. And of course you don't have to move out. I would _never_ do that to you. I promise."

Emma relaxed before a choked back sob escaped from her throat. Regina quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Emma, rubbing her back soothingly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Zelena. But for now, let's get you home. You're in no state to see her right now."

Emma nodded, letting Regina poof them home. Their home. The home that Emma would never be leaving again.


	343. Day 343: Neal's Magic

**I could really use some prompts!**

Regina couldn't believe what was happening. Snow and David were actually in her office, asking for her help. With their child.

Not the child that she was married to, but rather the younger one that suddenly seemed to have the abilities that Emma herself possessed. There was no reason for him to be the Savior, but his True Love magic was starting to blossom.

"What do we do?" Snow asked. "He's too young to be learning how to do magic."

"He's not learning how to do it, he already knows how," Regina said. "He just needs to learn to control it."

"And how do we do that?" David asked.

"You find him a teacher," Regina said. "Someone who knows magic and how to control it."

Snow looked at Regina hopefully. "So you could teach him? He loves you, and I'm sure would love to learn magic from you."

Regina shook her head. "I can't teach him, for the same reason that my teaching of Emma didn't go well. I learn and teach using dark magic. He needs to learn from someone who knows light magic."

"So, Emma?" David asked.

Regina hesitantly nodded. She didn't know how Emma was going to feel about the subject, but she didn't have a choice. If Neal wasn't taught control, he could destroy the whole town with the flick of his wrist.

"We'll go talk to her then," Snow said. "Maybe bringing Neal along would help with her decision to help or not."

Regina smiled. She had a feeling Emma would refuse, Neal there or not. "Good luck to you."

* * *

"No," Emma said, setting down her pen to fully glare at her parents. "I am not going to teach Neal magic."

"He already knows it," David said. "That's not what he needs help with."

"He just needs to learn control," Emma said. "It isn't that hard. Tell him to calm down his emotions and he's good to go."

"Emma please," Snow pleaded. "We don't know the first thing about magic, and Regina admitted that she can't teach him because she does dark magic. We can't turn Neal dark."

"Please?" Neal begged, stepping out from behind Snow and David. At 8 years old, Neal had the dark hair and fair skin of Snow, but the baby blue eyes of David. He was a handsome young man, something no one in town neglected to tell him.

"You brought him with?" Emma asked. She glared at Snow and David before crouching down to Neal's level. "I would help you, but I'm not a very good teacher. I barely have control over my magic."

Neal stuck out his bottom lip in the perfect pout. Emma just rolled her eyes. "You know I have the same pout as you and that isn't going to work."

"But I want to learn how to do more magic," Neal whined. "Dad said that I already know it, so why can't you teach me the next step to master it?"

"Because you're 8 years old and don't need to be learning all of that yet," Emma said, standing back up. "Stop thinking about your magic, and it'll leave you alone. Then when you're older, I can teach you."

"How much older do I have to be?" Neal asked.

Emma bit her lip in thought. "8 more years. When you're 16, I'll teach you everything I know."

"Okay," Neal said, satisfied with that answer. "Come on Mom, I want to get home before my show starts."

* * *

A few days later, Snow and David again walked into Regina's office, this time with Neal behind them. Emma looked in concern at her parents, which quickly turned to confusion when she couldn't sense anything wrong.

"Can I help you all?" Regina asked. "You seem to be interrupting my lunch with my wife."

"I know," Snow said apologetically. "But Neal's magic is getting stronger, and he keeps letting it go on other people. Our neighbor downstairs is a frog!"

Neal shrugged. "He sings along horribly to his radio. I figured I would turn him into something else that sings."

Emma covered her mouth to hide her smile. Regina chuckled. "What happened to practicing control?"

Neal shrugged. "Too much work."

Sighing, Regina reached into her desk and pulled out the item that still gave her nightmares. "If you can't learn control, then we'll just have to take away your powers for now."

"Take away my powers?" Neal asked, taking a step back. "I don't want you to do that. I have perfect control. I'll work on it!"

"You need a teacher," Regina said, glancing at Emma. "Otherwise this cuff goes on, and bye bye to magic."

Neal turned his pleading gaze to Emma. "You have to teach me! I have so much to learn, and I don't want to lose my magic."

"Sorry kid," Emma mumbled.

"Emma, you can teach him," Regina said. "He can save his magic, all you have to do is teach him control."

"I am not teaching him anything," Emma said. "Perhaps it's time that he learns that he won't always get everything in life that he's hoping for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Snow asked.

"You baby him," Emma said, spinning to face Snow. "You're so afraid of losing him that you baby him and make sure he has everything he wants. How do you think that makes me feel? To be the first baby living on the streets, and then the second baby comes along and he gets a nice crib and loving parents."

"We're just trying to make him happy," David argued. "We went through a lot during Snow's pregnancy with Neal. He was brought into the world and then snatched away from us. We need to make up for that."

"And what about me?" Emma asked. "I was snatched away from you and here I am. I didn't see you jumping through hoops to help me with my magic."

"We didn't know how unpredictable you would be," David said. "We're in your life now, doesn't that make up for it?"

Emma rolled her eyes before leaving the room, closely followed by Regina.

"Make up for it," Emma spat. "I can't believe them. They think that being in my life now is an acceptable apology for all of those years in hell? I don't think so."

"It was a poor choice of words," Regina agreed. "But you know what they're getting at. They can't send him somewhere else for his best chance. He has to stay here. And he needs to learn how to control his magic."

"What happens if he doesn't?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "It's never happened before. But I can assume that it would be very bad."

Emma groaned before sighing. "Fine. I'll teach him. But only because you're the one who asked, and I love you."

Regina smiled. "That's my girl."

 **Fun fact: I wrote this chapter basically half asleep**


	344. Day 344: Cases and Pregnancy Tests

**So sorry for not updating! The chapters were written, I just didn't have a chance to submit them.**

 **This chapter is for Post13writer with the prompt: "Craziness is happening all over Storybrooke and the sheriff is exhausted, while half asleep at her desk someone comes in and says they saw Regina buying a pregnancy test at the pharmacy."**

Emma was exhausted. She and David had made as many pots of coffee as possible, and they were still both on the verge of sleep.

No one had really thought that Ruby being with Dorothy would be a problem. Heck, no one had a problem with Regina and Emma being something. But Ruby and Dorothy were both receiving death threats, and they had no idea who it was from.

Ruby had a guess that it had to be someone from the Land of Untold Stories trying to stir up some trouble, but Dorothy swore that it had to be someone else. No one from that land knew them.

Currently, Emma was in charge of investigating Zelena. Which wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't Emma's future sister-in-law. Zelena had a history with Dorothy, and would most likely do anything to ruin her happiness.

David was in charge of monitoring Zelena. He tracked her movements, set up security cameras in her house, and tailed her whenever she came into town. So far she hadn't noticed anything was going on, but they were both prepared just in case.

The case was taking up all of their spare time, and lots of their nights were spent in front of the computer screen. Hence the exhaustion for both father and daughter.

"Emma?" Snow said, shaking her lightly.

Emma jumped. She hadn't even realized that her mother had entered the station, let alone stopped at her desk. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Snow said, brushing Emma's hair away from her face. "Are you okay? You look like you need to go home and get some sleep."

Emma waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Just need to finish this case as soon as possible."

"Well I'm going home," David said. "You should too. We aren't going to be any help if we're falling asleep on our desks. Go home, Emma."

"Besides, you and Regina have something that you need to talk about," Snow said.

Emma looked at her in confusion. "Something to talk about?"

"I saw her at the drugstore on my way here," Snow said. "The windows let you see who's all inside, and I saw her pick up something that means that you two need to have a long chat."

"What did she buy?" Emma asked, worry starting to creep in her voice. The drug store had such a variety of items that it was hard to tell what Regina could have gotten that worried Snow. Then again, Snow did have a flair for the dramatic.

Snow took a deep breath before just letting the answer spill out. "A pregnancy test."

* * *

"You're finally home," Regina said, smiling as Emma walked through the front door. "I was afraid that case was going to eat you and David alive."

"It's still an ongoing case," Emma said. "David and I just agreed to go home for the night and get some rest."

Regina nodded. "Well you certainly deserve it."

"Can I ask you something?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

"Of course," Regina said. "Is everything okay? You look like you're a mixture of worried and upset."

"My mom saw you in the drug store this morning," Emma said. "And she saw you buying a pregnancy test. Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Besides the very important fact that I didn't buy them for me?" Regina asked. "I was given money and asked if I would go in her place to get them. That's why I was in there."

"Who were you buying them for?" Emma asked. She still didn't fully believe that Regina wasn't pregnant and was just denying it.

Regina bit her lip. "I can't say. That would betray her trust."

"Then I'm just going to assume that it's you," Emma said. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Because the couple having the child isn't sure how they feel about people knowing just yet," Regina said. "Believe me, it's a good thing that you don't know. Chances are, you would freak out."

"Does this have something to do with Henry?" Emma asked. "Or my parents?"

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "I was merely picking them up as a favor. You don't need to know who I was picking them up for."

"Or maybe you're trying to cover up the fact that you're the one that actually took it," Emma said, studying Regina closely. She smirked in triumph when she saw Regina barely flinch. Bingo.

"I am not," Regina protested. "I got them for someone else."

"Then tell me who it was," Emma challenged.

Regina bit her lip again, and Emma could practically see the wheels in her head turning to try and figure out the best way to get herself out of the situation.

"Regina," Emma said gently. "Just tell me the truth. The whole truth. If you really did give the test to someone else, then tell me who."

Several beats passed before Regina mumbled her answer. "You have to speak louder than that," Emma said. "It doesn't count as an answer if I can't hear it."

"I said that I was the one that used the tests," Regina said louder.

"And do you have a result yet?" Emma asked. Inside, she was dancing for joy. The chance to have a child with Regina would be the best chance ever.

Regina shook her head. "I look three of them, but I'm too scared to look. So I'm just waiting out here, pretending that this isn't actually happening."

Emma rolled her eyes affectionately before grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her upstairs to the bathroom. Three pregnancy tests sat on the counter with their results. Emma went to walk into the bathroom to check them, but Regina stopped her.

"Let's just not look," Regina pleaded. "If we don't look, it isn't real."

"We'll get through this together," Emma said, letting go of Regina's hand. "But we have to know the results."

Regina stood in silence for several moments before nodding. Emma smiled before stepping into the bathroom to look at the tests. Her smile got even bigger when she actually looked at them and held them up for Regina to see.

The test was positive.


	345. Day 345: Birthday Wish

**Happy Birthday to the wonderful Jennifer Morrison! This chapter mentions little Lola.**

For as long as Emma could remember, she had always made a wish on her birthday. Even when she was on the streets and didn't have a candle to blow out, she would still look at the stars and make a wish.

It had taken many years, but she finally had one of her wishes. She had wished for the longest time to finally have a family, and here she was. She was happily married, was reunited with the son she had given up for adoption, had a baby on the way, and had both of her parents.

"Life can't get much better than this," Emma said.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Regina asked, chuckling.

Emma shrugged, turning around to face her. "Was just thinking about the wish that I was going to make this year."

"Well your wish last year came true, so this year should be interesting," Regina said, placing her hands on her stomach. Her baby bump was just starting to show, and Emma couldn't help but smile every time that she saw it.

"I didn't actually expect when I wished for our family to get bigger that it would come true," Emma said. "I was thinking more of in the future when Henry is older and married. Not having a child of our own."

Regina hummed in agreement. "Magic and wishes work in strange ways. You know that."

"Which is why my wish this year is so important," Emma said, sitting down on the bed. "I need to make sure that it gets granted as soon as the baby is born."

Regina looked at her in confusion before sitting next to her. "What are you going to wish for?"

"I can't tell you," Emma said. "Otherwise it won't come true."

"That's just a myth," Regina said. "Come on. Just tell me what you're wishing for."

Emma sighed. "I'm going to wish that I do everything right for our little baby. I didn't experience raising Henry, so I have no idea what it's like to be responsible for the actions of a child. This is my first time doing this, and I want to do it right."

Regina reached over and grabbed Emma's hand in her own, squeezing it gently. "Don't waste your wish on that."

"What?" Emma asked.

"You are going to be a natural," Regina said. "No, you don't have experience in raising a child. But if I can do it while living in a town under a curse, you can do it now. I've seen the way that you are with Neal."

"I'm not the one raising Neal, I just watch him sometimes for my parents," Emma said. "That doesn't even count."

"Emma, you have that natural mothering instinct," Regina said. "I've seen it before. Use your wish on something else."

Emma pursed her lips as she thought about it. "Okay," she said. "I have a new wish in mind. But I'm not going to tell you this one."

"Fine," Regina said, chuckling. "Now come on, your cake is downstairs; with candles and everything. Time for your wish."

"Please tell me that you didn't actually put 34 candles on that cake," Emma said.

Regina laughed. "Of course not. Henry just bought the number candles and put a three and a four on there. Worked just as well."

Emma rolled her eyes before getting up and walking with Regina down to the kitchen. Her family was gathered, as well as some of her and Regina's closest friends. With all of them watching, Emma blew out her candles, making her wish.

As everyone clapped, Emma smiled at the wish she had made. If it came true, it would change everything, but in a good way. She had wished for the chance to save another little girl from the foster system and bring her home. After all, wasn't three the magic number?

 **20 more days!**


	346. Day 346: Will

Emma hummed to herself as she walked into Regina's study at home. Since she was getting better at magic, she wanted to expand her horizons. Which, unfortunately for her, included reading spell books.

There were a ton of spell books in Regina's vault, but Emma had never been a huge fan of that place. The beating hearts were a little two creepy for her liking.

After browsing through all of the books on the shelves, Emma realized that there weren't any there that she could read. They were all in some kind of weird language that Regina hadn't taught her yet.

Turning around, Emma skimmed her eyes over Regina's desk. Maybe she had a book hidden somewhere that was in a normal language. Like English.

Seeing a book under a stack of papers, Emma went to move them when one caught her eye. And what the title was made Emma freeze, eyes wide. Grabbing it tightly in her hand, Emma quickly ran out of the study and to her bug. She and Regina needed to talk.

* * *

"What is this?" Emma demanded, storming into Regina's office. Regina's secretary was trailing closely behind her, trying to grab her arm and take her out.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something?" Granny asked irritably. "Wait your turn."

"This is more important," Emma said, holding up the papers for Regina to see. "Is there something that you need to tell me?"

Regina sighed. "Emma, please calm down. Mary, please take her back out to the waiting area so that I can finish my current appointment."

"No way," Emma said. "I am not leaving until we talk about this."

"We will," Regina said. "You just have to wait a couple more minutes while I finish up with Granny and then I'll talk to you."

Emma stood there for several seconds before finally moving out of Regina's office. Mary quickly left and closed the door behind her.

"What was that all about?" Granny asked. "She looked like she had something that she had found. And she didn't seem happy."

"She just doesn't know the situation," Regina said. "We'll talk when I'm done with you. Now then, you were saying about Leroy?"

* * *

Finally, Regina finished with Granny. She opened the door, politely saying goodbye to Granny before beckoning Emma into her office. Emma shot out of her chair and quickly entered Regina's office, spinning to face her as soon as the door shut.

"Would you care to explain this?" Emma asked. "Why are you writing your will? Do you plan to depart anytime soon? Because I think that's something that you should tell me before just making a will."

Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's shoulders. "Take a deep breath and calm down. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, okay?"

"Then why do you have a will made up?" Emma asked.

"Just in case something happens to me unexpectedly," Regina said, gently taking the papers from Emma's hands and putting them on the desk. "You don't have any legal rights to Henry, so I made sure that if anything happens to me, custody of Henry would go to you."

"And that's it?" Emma asked. "You're not hiding a terminal disease or anything from me, right?"

Regina laughed before kissing Emma. "No, I'm not hiding a disease or anything. I just like planning ahead."

"I swear if I come home and you're planning your funeral, you're a dead woman," Emma said. "Not even joking. Don't scare me like that ever again."

Smiling, Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and hugged her tightly. "I won't."


	347. Day 347: Charlotte's Web

**I just watched the most recent episode and I swear if they kill off Emma and there's no more SQ I'm gonna personally kill Adam and Eddie. Also, slightly died when Emma called the spider Charlotte.**

Regina ran up the stairs to Emma's house, pounding on the door. "Emma! Open up!"

Several beats passed before Emma opened the door. Before she could say anything, Regina's arms were around her, hugging her tightly.

After a second, Emma hugged her back. "I'm guessing that my mom told you about the giant spider and my near-death experience."

"Yes," Regina mumbled. They stood on the porch in a tight embrace until Regina finally pulled away. "What in the world were you thinking? Gideon can't be trusted!"

"I wanted to give him another chance," Emma said. "He seemed like he was finally going to be on our side."

"You can't save everyone, least of all someone who has already tried to kill you before," Regina said. "You could have died today."

"I know," Emma said guiltily. "I really didn't think it through. Belle and Gold just seem so confident that Gideon had some good in him that I wanted to believe it too. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

Regina sighed, knowing that Emma was right. Without being given a second chance, she would probably be completely alone in her mansion, avoiding angry mobs everywhere she went.

"Come inside," Emma said gently, grabbing Regina's hand. "You're shaking like a leaf."

"I wonder why," Regina said sarcastically. "I wonder if it has anything to do with the idea of the woman I love being eaten alive by a giant spider."

Emma shuddered. "I am never going near another spider for as long as I live."

"Don't know how long that'll be if you keep up this current pattern," Regina mumbled.

"I can't help it," Emma said. "You know that I have to try and save everyone, even if there's not a lot of saving that I can do."

"You don't have to risk your life to do it!" Regina exclaimed. "You have people who love and care for you and it's like they slip from your mind every time you jump headfirst into any situation."

"Of course I think of all of you!" Emma protested. "The people I love are the reason that I tried to save Gideon today! I thought that if I helped him, he would see that people actually want to help him, not lock him away for what he's done. I wanted to see the good in him no matter what."

"And how well did that work out for you?" Regina asked, sitting down heavily on Emma's couch and putting her face in her hands.

"Not very well," Emma admitted. "I got caught up in some twisted version of Charlotte's Web."

Regina looked up at Emma in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," Emma said. "Book reference. Honestly, I'm surprised that you didn't read it to Henry when he was little."

Regina shrugged. "I didn't read him stories because none of them seemed realistic."

"Oh trust me," Emma said, sitting next to Regina. "This book is pretty realistic."

They sat in silence for a while before Emma reached over and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry. I know that I scare you every time that I have a near death experience. But it's part of my job, and I can't just stop being who I'm meant to be. I was born to save people."

"If only I hadn't casted that curse," Regina said bitterly.

"You saw what happened if you hadn't," Emma said. "You would be dead, and I would have been raised as some prissy princess who was too weak to stand up for herself."

Regina laughed. "That was mildly entertaining."

Emma rolled her eyes. "My point is that I would rather be the Savior than live in a world where you and I would never have a chance to be together. I know that I worry you constantly, but let's just call it payback for all the times that I had to worry about you and the Evil Queen."

Regina smiled. "Doesn't really seem like a fair payback considering she never tried to kill me."

"Um, are you forgetting about when she cut the tie between the two of you and then tried to duel you to the death?" Emma asked. "Because I would call that trying to kill you."

"Compare that to the fact the Gideon has tried to kill you twice, once with a giant bug, and I hardly find that a fair comparison," Regina said.

Emma sighed. "We can get through this, okay? We've beaten villain after villain and we're both still alive. A little messed up, but still alive."

Regina chuckled. "We were messed up before all of the craziness started."

"Which is why we're perfect for each other," Emma said, smiling. "Look, even if something does happen to me, there's nowhere that you can go that I won't be with you."

"Let's not talk about you dying, okay?" Regina pleaded, pulling Emma close to her.

"Okay," Emma said, rubbing her hand up and down Regina's back to soothe her. "Everything is going to turn out okay in the end. I promise."

 **Anybody catch the Gramma Tala line from "Moana" thrown in there? Since I feel like being nice, whoever finds the line gets to be featured in my next chapter with a name of your choice. What I do with you is again up to me. Find the line!**


	348. Day 348: Little Ducky

**This chapter is based off of my cat, who's the neediest one I know. Everyone remember Cuddles? If not, go back to Day 228.**

Regina glanced behind her and saw Cuddles hot on her trail, trotting along happily behind her. She rolled her eyes, going into the bathroom and quickly shutting the door. For once, she wanted to go to the bathroom alone.

Shutting the door, Regina groaned as she saw a little paw slip under the door, trying to get her attention. "I am not letting you in." She got a meow in response.

Sighing, Regina opened the door to let Cuddles in. If she didn't, they'd just be adding more claw marks to the door.

"You are such a pain in the ass, did you know that?" Regina asked. Cuddles just meowed before jumping up onto the sink and looking at Regina impatiently.

"No way," Regina said. "I am not turning the water on and letting you play because then you'll just get all wet and freak out."

"Are you talking to the cat?" Emma asked. "And why are you in the bathroom?"

"Well I was going to go the bathroom but Cuddles decided that he needed to tag along," Regina said. "Now I guess I'm just stuck with furry-butt here."

Emma laughed before walking in and picking up Cuddles. "Come on. Let's go find something else to do besides annoy Regina."

As she watched them go, Regina could have sworn she saw Cuddles wink at her.

* * *

A couple hours later, Regina was making dinner. It wasn't a special occasion so she didn't have to go all out, but it was still nice. Looking at the recipe, Regina realized that she needed the shredded cheese from the fridge.

She turned around to get it, only to almost trip over Cuddles; who was happily sitting very close to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. "I could have tripped over you. Then we both would have been hurt."

Cuddles just looked at her and slow blinked before standing up and rubbing on her pant leg. Regina groaned as she looked at her black pants now covered in white fur. "Great."

Meowing again, Cuddles plopped down right at Regina's feet, rolling from side to side on the floor. His purr was going like a lawn mower, and he was kneading the air.

Regina chuckled before bending down to pet him. He really was cute, just a pain during times like these where Regina had something that she needed to get done. Then, Cuddles was great at being in the way.

"Why is there a pot full of food on the stove without someone to watch it?" Emma asked.

Regina stood up from the floor, brushing off her hands on her pants. "Right here."

"Why were you on the floor?" Emma asked. "And covered in a lot of cat hair."

"You can blame Cuddles for that one," Regina said. "He's been following me around all day, so I figured that meant that he probably wanted attention. Hopefully now he leaves me alone."

"Aww, he's like your little baby duck," Emma said. "He's following you around everywhere like you're his mommy. We should dress him up in a duck suit!"

Cuddles meowed from the floor as if telling her there was a fat chance that was going to ever happen.


	349. Day 349: Egg Hunt

**Happy Easter everyone!**

"I can't believe so many people came," Regina said, looking around at the group of town members that had gathered together.

"Isn't it great?" Snow asked, practically jumping with excitement. "This egg hunt is going to be the best thing ever!"

Squealing with excitement, Snow went to find David. "She's way too excited about this," Emma said, coming to stand with Regina.

Regina laughed. "You think? I'm waiting for her to just start telling everyone where the eggs are hidden just so she doesn't have to wait."

"She's not the only one who hid them," Emma said. "But yes, she would be the easiest one to break."

"Everyone ready?" David shouted. The whole group cheered. The pair with the most eggs at the end of the hunt didn't really win anything except bragging rights and all of the candy in the eggs, but the town was still excited about it.

"I would say that for once our town is doing something normal, but this is not normal," Regina said. "Whole towns don't do egg hunts."

Emma shrugged. "Depends on the size of the town. For a town this small, it's completely normal."

"The rules are simple," David said. "No stealing anyone else's eggs from their baskets. No asking the judges where the eggs are hidden. And lastly, have fun!"

The town cheered. They were ready to get out there and have some fun. And win some free candy in the process.

David fired a blank into the sky, setting off all of the teams. They all ran in different directions, each one going to a separate part of the park. Plants were pushed aside and shoes stomped on the grass as people frantically searched for any eggs.

* * *

The day dragged on and on, people searching even harder now that most of the easy ones had been found.

"Found one!" Emma said happily, holding up a bright pink plastic egg. "How many do we have now?"

Regina held out the basket she was holding, counting the eggs as Emma added hers in. "15 now. We're on a roll."

Emma chuckled and continued her searching. "It also pays off when your partner happens to have experience tracking people."

"I knew that was going to come in handy someday," Regina said, smirking. "Who knew your skills would be used for an egg hunt?"

"Seriously?" Emma groaned, looking up a tree. "That's just rude."

"Bet that one was your mother," Regina said. "She loves climbing trees."

"Not everyone does," Emma mumbled before begrudgingly climbing the tree to get the purple egg at the top. "16!"

Regina caught the egg as Emma dropped it, setting it nicely into the basket. "I have no doubt that we're winning."

"Of course," Emma said, jumping down to the ground. "We never lose. Come on, it looks like the person hiding this batch went this way next."

"Shouldn't we be letting some of the little kids get some of these?" Regina asked, following behind Emma. For once she had chosen to wear flats instead of heels, knowing that she would be chasing Emma all day.

"They got all of the easy ones," Emma said. "Now it's our job to get the harder ones. We're gonna win this thing."

* * *

After the final count had been made, it was revealed that Emma and Regina had, in fact, won. With a grand total of 30 eggs, they beat Henry and Violet by 2.

"Told you that we would win," Emma said.

"I don't think that using your skills from your old job is entirely fair to everyone else playing," Regina said.

Emma shrugged. "Worth it!"

 **Over 1,000 reviews? That's crazy! Thank you guys so much, your feedback helps me out a lot!**


	350. Day 350: Closed Door

**Okay so did Snow and David in this last episode piss anybody else off? Emma was way too nice to them for finding out that her parents chose to let her grow up without them. Because when she found out that they had put the darkness in Lily for her, she was way more pissed about that. What.**

 **So, I decided to write how she should have reacted. With SQ of course :) If you haven't seen this episode yet, I'll see you tomorrow!**

"We'll find some other way to bring Hook back," Emma said, pressing the bottle back into Snow's hand. "Besides, if I drank that nothing would happen. My True Love is already here."

"No he's not," Snow said, trying to give Emma the bottle back.

Emma sighed before uncapping the bottle and forcing Snow to drink it. "My True Love is standing behind me right now." Before she could say anything else, Emma was pouring the rest down David's throat.

"Now you can't bring Hook back," Snow protested.

"I just said I don't need to," Emma said. "Now is a great chance to get everyone to accept that."

"I'm awake," David said in surprise, sitting up. "You guys did it! The flower worked well."

"Emma was supposed to use it to bring Hook back," Snow said. "That flower could have brought back your True Love."

"How did you even know about that?" Emma asked.

Snow and David shared a glance. "I found it during the first curse," Snow said. "I accidentally woke up David with it, and then he woke me up. We were told that we could find you too with it. And we did."

"You found me?" Emma asked. "When I was a little girl?"

Snow nodded. "You were reading a book on your bed while listening to music. We wanted to go through the portal so badly, but you had to be the Savior. The rest of the town needed to wake up too. So we closed the door."

Emma stared at her parents and shock. "You guys gave up my happiness to change the rest of the town? To make me into the Savior that I never wanted to be? And now I have to fight some huge final battle that could result in my death?"

"We didn't know any of that," David said. "Otherwise we would have taken you."

"I'm not so sure you would have," Emma said bitterly, standing up from the bed and backing away from them. "You two think that you're heroes by saving everyone else. But family should go before anything."

Before anyone could say anything else, Emma had poofed herself out of the apartment.

"So you were awake," Regina said. "I knew it."

Snow huffed out a laugh. "And look where it got me."

"You should have rescued her," Regina said. "You had a chance to help her grow up with parents, and you just left her alone."

"The rest of the town would have stayed asleep forever," David protested. "We couldn't do that to them."

Regina shrugged. "You already make your choice. Now it's just up to you two to live with it."

"If you hadn't casted that curse in the first place, none of this would have happened," Snow snapped, glaring at Regina.

Regina stared back at Snow, her eyes as cold as ice. "And if you hadn't spilled my secret, Daniel would still be alive, and I would have been happy."

Before Snow could say anything else, Regina grabbed Henry's arm and poofed them home. She didn't want to hear anything else that the Charming's had to say.

* * *

"Where do you think Emma is?" Henry asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, she's just upstairs," Regina said, brushing a stray piece of hair out of Henry's face. "I'll take care of it."

"How do you know she's upstairs?" Henry asked.

Regina smiled. "Because I know her. I'll go talk to her, don't worry. We'll get this figured out."

Henry nodded, going into the living room to play video games. Regina watched him go before climbing the stairs and walking down the hall to the room that she and Emma shared. Opening the door quietly, Regina smiled at the sight of Emma sitting on their bed.

"How'd you know I would be here?" Emma mumbled.

Regina walked over and sat next to her. "Because whenever you're feeling down about something family related you always come here. To remind yourself that you have a family of your own now."

Emma smiled slightly. "You know me well."

"It's my job to," Regina said. "I'm sorry about your parents. And about the Dark Curse."

"The Dark Curse I can live with," Emma said. "But my parents had a chance to make our family complete before I got so broken. They found me, Regina. And they let me go."

Regina sighed. "They wanted to help the rest of the town."

"Am I always going to be second to them?" Emma asked. "Every time that the town is in danger, will they always rely on me to save the day because they made me stay in the system to become the Savior?"

"You save the day because you enjoy helping people," Regina said.

"But did they make me that way?" Emma asked. "Did I only become that person after they left me and went back to their cursed selves?"

"I don't know," Regina admitted. "But what I do know is that no matter what, you're the Savior. Did you miss the chance to grow up with your parents? Yes. But we both know that they have a hero complex and need to do whatever to save the most people."

"I know," Emma said. "But I'm their daughter."

"I know," Regina said, pulling Emma to her and wrapping her arms around her. "Poor you."

Emma laughed. Regina smiled and kissed the top of her head. "If it makes you feel any better, I doubt it was an easy decision. Knowing your parents, I'm sure your father stood up for wanting to take you but eventually caved. Snow was always the decision maker."

"Shocker," Emma said sarcastically.

Regina laughed. "We'll figure all of this out. This family may be messed up, but we always work things out in the end."

Emma sighed. "I hope so."


	351. Day 351: Home

**Charm420 is the big winner of the name contest! Enjoy :)**

"What did you call me out here for?" Regina asked, joining Emma by the edge of the forest.

"Archie was walking with Pongo and said that Pongo suddenly went nuts and dragged him into the forest," Emma said. "He didn't see her for very long, but Archie swears that he saw a little girl."

"So why call me?" Regina asked.

"Because I wanted your help, not David's," Emma said. "If this is a little girl, I'd rather you be by my side."

"Okay," Regina said, not pushing the issue. "What direction did Archie see her going in?"

Emma sighed. "He had no idea. He only got a glimpse of her before she took off. Pongo was acting too crazy for him to want to go after her."

"Why was Pongo acting all crazy?" Regina asked. "He seems like a calm dog most of the time."

"No idea," Emma said. "All I know is that there's a little girl, possibly, out in the forest all by herself. I have no idea how to start looking for her though."

"Leave that part to me," Regina said. "I spent years hunting after your mother. I know a thing or two about tracking."

Emma smiled. "Lead the way Madame Mayor."

* * *

"Wow," Emma said. "That is one impressive campsite." A large tent was set up in the middle of a clearing, with several blankets inside made of animal fur. Pots and pans were stacked around the opening of the tent, most of them clean and ready for use. A large campfire was set up a safe distance away from the tent, perfectly made.

"I think we found our little girl," Regina said. "Or someone else who's very good at making camp and lives alone."

"There has to be some kind of trap around here," Emma said, looking around on the ground. "No one sets up camp without a way to protect themselves while they're sleeping."

"She wouldn't be sleeping right now," Regina said in confusion.

Emma felt the ground before smiling as she uncovered a string buried just under the surface of the dirt. "Maybe not, but she'd still want to be protected if she's home."

Regina peered through the bush, freezing when she saw a little girl walk out of the tent. She was wearing clothes that could only have come from the Enchanted Forest, but they were much too big for her. Her caramel skin was even darker with dirt, and her hair was knotted and ratted.

"Emma, look," Regina whispered. Emma looked up from the ground and gasped at the sight of the little girl.

"How old do you think she is?" Emma asked.

"6 or 7," Regina said. "Much too young to be in the woods living by herself."

"Do we approach her?" Emma asked. "I don't want to spook her, but we can't just leave her out here alone. She needs a home."

Regina nodded before grabbing Emma's hand and standing up slowly. The little girl turned towards them, seeing their movements from the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened and she quickly bolted into her tent, burrowing under her pile of blankets.

Stepping carefully over her trap, Emma and Regina walked slowly over to the tent. "We aren't going to hurt you," Regina said softly, letting go of Emma's hand and kneeling down in front of the tent. "We want to help you."

"Who are you?" the little girl asked.

"My name is Regina, and this is Emma," Regina said. Emma kneeled down next to her, giving a little wave. "What's your name?"

"Tyanah," the little girl said.

"That's a beautiful name," Emma said.

"Thank you," Tyanah mumbled. "Why do you want to help me? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing," Emma said. "We just want to help because you're living by yourself out in the dirty forest when you could be living in a home."

"My parents are dead," Tyanah said. "I don't have a home. I came here with the other people from the Land of Untold Stories."

"We could help you find a home," Regina said, holding out her hand. "You don't have to live out here anymore."

Several seconds passed that felt like hours before Tyanah put her little hand in Regina's and came out of the tent. Smiling even bigger, Regina and Emma took her back to the car and drove home.

* * *

It had been a couple weeks since Tyanah had come home with Emma and Regina. They had cleaned her up and fed her, and now she was the happiest little girl alive. Everyone in town loved her, but no one really wanted to adopt her. They all had families of their own.

"Why doesn't anyone want me?" Tyanah asked. "They're all so kind to me, but none of them want me in their family."

"It's complicated Ty," Emma said. "But I think we have a solution to your problem."

"Someone finally wants me?" Tyanah asked, perking up. Emma couldn't help but smile. Every time that Tyanah got excited, her hazel eyes lit up like mini light bulbs.

"Actually it's a couple," Regina said. "They already have an older son, but they made a connection with you and wanted to see about adopting you."

"I haven't met any families that have an older son," Tyanah said in confusion. "They've all been babies."

"Are you sure about that?" Emma asked, smirking.

"Yeah," Tyanah said. "No one in this town has an older son except for- oh." She looked at Emma and Regina in shock before her whole face lit up with a smile that could have powered the planet for years. She ran over to them both, hugging them tightly.

"I told you we would find you a home," Regina said. "And we did."

 **Fluff, fluff, and more fluff. You're welcome! Should I do more name challenges to feature more people?**


	352. Day 352: Flower Notes

Regina walked into her office, preparing herself for the day. Monday's were the worst, and she had no doubt everyone agreed with her. A nice stack of paperwork to do was waiting for her no doubt, and she had a meeting with the dwarves about the current condition of the mines.

Her secretary was late again, and Regina made a note to scold her for never showing up on time. She had a job to do.

Unlocking her office door, Regina stepped inside and flipped on the lights. The first thing that she noticed was that someone had been into her office already that morning. The magical wards around her office told her as much, but not who had entered.

The second thing she noticed was the flower on her desk. It looked like a lily, but Regina could immediately tell the difference. She had grown up reading insane amounts of books, including ones about flowers. This was an amaryllis flower, the symbol of splendid beauty.

Walking over to her desk, Regina delicately picked up the flower and breathed in its sweet scent. Summoning a vase filled with water, she set the flower inside. Some color would be good for her office.

Regina sat down at her desk, looking in confusion at the note in front of her. She picked it up and unfolded it, curious as to what was inside. Perhaps the name of the person who had brought her the flower?

 _Your eyes see into my soul and make me feel like I finally belong someplace. Enjoy the flower._

Regina flipped the note over, but there was no signature. Whoever had sent her the flower wanted to remain anonymous.

"How strange," Regina said, setting the note next to the vase. She started her work, forgetting about the note and flower for a while. That mystery would have to wait.

* * *

The rest of the week was exactly the same as the first day. The wards around Regina's office alerted her to someone being in her office already, and a flower was on her desk. Each flower had something to do with beauty and elegance, and each day a note was left with it complimenting something about Regina.

"That's quite an interesting bouquet you've got there," Emma said, walking into Regina's office.

Regina smiled at the bouquet. "I've gotten one every day this week, along with a note. I don't know who's been giving them to me though."

"Don't you have a ward around this place?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "Only like an alarm system. Anyone can get in, it just starts making a loud noise to scare people off."

Emma nodded before turning her attention back to the flowers. "They're beautiful flowers. Aren't you a huge flower nut?"

"Flower nut?" Regina asked, chuckling in amusement. "Interesting choice of words."

"It looks like your vase has room for one more," Emma said. "I wonder if you'll get another flower today."

Regina shook her head. "They're always on my desk when I get here."

"Today could be different," Emma said. "Maybe the person wants to deliver the last one in person to finally reveal who they are."

Regina looked at Emma curiously. "And you would know this how?"

Emma stood there for a long time before holding out her hand. In it, was a single red rose that she had poofed into her hand. Regina stared at her in shock before smiling and taking the rose from her, adding it to her bouquet.

"Oh, and this too," Emma said, holding out her note.

Regina took the note from her, slowly unfolding it to watch Emma's reaction. "You could read it faster," Emma said impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue," Regina teased.

"We both know I don't have that," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Open the note."

Regina completely unfolded it, smiling even wider as she read what was on the inside. "You do realize that the flower already told me this?"

"The flower spoke to you?" Emma teased. "That's a new one."

Regina rolled her eyes before standing up, grabbing the front of Emma's jacket to pull her closer, and kissing her. Emma instantly relaxed into the kiss, enjoying how right it felt.

Who knew that flowers and notes could go so well in her favor?

 **For those who didn't figure it out, red roses are symbols of love. I'm thinking you can guess what the note said.**


	353. Day 353: Arachnophobia

"What in the world are you doing?" Regina asked, setting her bag on the counter and looking at Emma standing on a chair by the kitchen table.

"There's a spider," Emma said. "I don't know where it went, but I know that it's here."

"Emma, get down from the chair," Regina said, holding out her hand.

Emma shook her head. "I'm not getting down until I know that the spider is gone. There's a spider around here somewhere, spiders make webs, and clearly webs are not a friend of mine."

"This is not a giant spider that is going to try and eat you," Regina said gently. "Come down from the chair please."

Emma slowly reached out and grabbed Regina's hand, slowly climbing down from the chair and looking at the floor around her. Her eyes widened and she quickly jumped back onto the chair, pointing towards the island. "It's right there!"

Regina looked over, but saw nothing. "There's nothing there."

"Yes there is," Emma insisted. "I swear, there's one right there. You need to get it."

"Emma, even if there is one there it's just a little spider," Regina said. "It isn't going to hurt you."

"You know, I thought the same thing," Emma said. "And then I had to face off with a spider that was 10 times the size that it actually should have been!"

"Stop freaking out," Regina said. She walked over to the island, stepping on the spider and killing it. It was a miracle she had even seen it. It was about the size of her thumbnail.

"Thank you," Emma said, stepping down from the chair. "Is there a way to permanently remove spiders from the house? Like a spell or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina said. "There are no spells for pest control. Besides, there are good things about spiders."

Emma crossed her arms. "I am not being ridiculous. Being afraid of spiders is a perfectly normal fear. Lots of people have it."

"You didn't have it before," Regina said.

"I wasn't attacked by a giant spider before," Emma countered. "You would be afraid of spiders too if every time you saw one you visualized being wrapped in a web and passing out."

"There is nothing to be scared of," Regina said. "It'll just take time for you to realize that spiders aren't going to hurt you. Until then, I can kill as many of them as you want."

"Thank you," Emma said. "I'll gladly take you up on that offer. There's one over there."

Regina looked over to the living room in surprise, rolling her eyes when Emma started to laugh. "Made you look," she teased.

"You are a child," Regina said.

"You love me," Emma said, smiling.

"Crazy me," Regina said, smiling back at her. "I do."

 **Guys I really really need prompts! I won't be able to make it through these last few days if I don't know what to write!**


	354. Day 354: Prom

**Thank you all so much for helping me out! I was seriously going to take a break again because of lack of ideas. You guys are the best.**

 **This chapter is for KatDee with the prompt: "One where Ava gets asked to a dance and all chaos ensues in the Swan-Mills household as one of their baby girls is now growing up to be a lady. "**

"So what's this emergency family meeting about?" Lola asked, plopping down in her seat at the kitchen table.

"No idea," Henry said. "Who even called it anyway?"

"I did," Ava said, sitting down next to Henry. She didn't have the genetics of Emma or Regina, and yet she moved as gracefully as Regina did; a talent that Lola was often envious of.

"What's going on?" Regina asked. "Did something happen at school?"

"Something like that," Ava said. "I got asked to prom this morning."

The whole table erupted into chaos, cheering and high-fives being shared among siblings while Emma and Regina just sat in shock. Could Ava really be old enough to be asked to prom?

"Earth to mothers," Ava teased, waving her hand in front of Emma and Regina. "Are you guys okay? You're both just kind of sitting there and staring into space."

"Of course," Emma said, breaking out of her haze. "Sorry. Just a little shocked is all. One of our little girls is old enough to be going to prom!"

"Maybe you guys can join Violet and I," Henry suggested. "Then you won't have to spend the night alone together. First dates are always kind of awkward."

"Who is this guy?" Lola asked. "Is he nice?"

Ava rolled her eyes. "I have high standards. Of course he's nice. And very smart. Top of his class, just like I am."

"He's not in your class?" Regina asked.

"No," Ava said. "He's a senior."

"So he's two years older than you?" Lola asked. "That seems kind of sketchy. Why couldn't he ask someone from his own grade?"

"Because he wanted to ask me," Ava said. "He really is nice, and very gentleman-like. He asked in a very nice way."

"He didn't ask our permission to court you," Regina said.

"We're going to a dance, not getting married," Ava said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Emma for help. "Will you control your wife and daughter please?"

Emma laughed. "They're just protective. I'm sure that he's a great guy, and that your mom and sister will be nice to him when he comes around. Right ladies?"

Regina and Lola shared a glance before sighing in unison. "Right."

* * *

A couple weeks passed, and the dance finally arrived. Ava had spend the whole afternoon getting her hair and makeup done, and had just gotten dressed. Henry had gotten dressed fairly quickly. After all, he didn't have to worry about everything girls did.

"Pictures before dinner, right?" Henry asked, fidgeting with his bowtie.

"Yes, that way the girls don't have to worry about their lipstick being faded in the pictures," Regina said, reaching over and fixing Henry's bowtie.

"She ready yet?" Emma asked, joining Regina and Henry in the foyer.

"I'm ready," Ava said from the top of the stairs. Everyone looked up and all of their jaws dropped. Ava wore a red mermaid dress that hugged her curves perfectly with lace covering her shoulders and halfway down her back. Her dark brown hair was pulled off to the side in an elegant ponytail, perfectly displaying her silver earrings. Her shoes peeked out of her dress, matching the silver of her earrings.

"You look beautiful," Regina said, discreetly swiping under her eyes.

"Thanks mom," Ava said, smiling. "We should probably get going, we're meeting them for pictures in 10 minutes." She walked with Henry out of the front door, Lola following close behind.

"You okay?" Emma asked, nudging Regina gently.

Regina nodded. "They're just growing up so fast."

"I know," Emma said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. "Let's go take some pictures. She isn't going to wait around forever."

Regina nodded and they walked together to the car. The kids may be growing up fast, but they were going to make every moment count.

 **Fluffity fluff fluff :)**


	355. Day 355: The Wedding Is Off

**This chapter is for Samantha S Dracul with the prompt: "Hook and Emma are engaged, but Emma is not sure yet to marry. Zelena realizes that Regina and Emma feel something strong between them, so she manages to cause several situations where they stay together and so realize that they love each other."**

"The point is to keep that on your finger," Regina said, walking into Emma's office.

Emma jumped, quickly putting her engagement ring back onto her finger. "Right."

Regina looked at her in concern. "Are you okay? You look like you're thinking hard about something."

"Just the whole getting married thing," Emma said. "It's kind of crazy."

"You're having second thoughts?" Regina asked. She tried not to sound too excited. It wasn't that she didn't want Emma to marry Hook but...oh who was she kidding. She didn't want Emma to marry Hook.

"Something like that," Emma said. "It's not that I don't want to get married. I've always dreamed about getting married. I just want it to be with the...right person."

Regina sat on the edge of Emma's desk. "And you're not sure that Hook's the one?"

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know what I'm sure of."

Zelena smiled from her hiding spot around the corner. She already knew that Regina had feelings for Emma because they had talked about it before. One of their "sisterly bonding moments". But it seemed clear now that Emma had feelings for Regina. Time for a little push.

* * *

"What's going on?" Regina asked, walking hesitantly into Emma's house.

"It's raining. In my house," Emma said. She was soaked to the bone, and looked ready to murder someone.

Regina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "Why don't you just get rid of it?"

"I tried," Emma said. "For some reason it won't go away whenever I try."

Regina smiled before flicking her wrist, instantly getting rid of the storms. "There. All better. Do you have clothes to change into?"

"Nope," Emma said. "Everything is still in boxes, and whatever isn't in boxes is soaked by the storm."

Regina laughed before grabbing Emma's wrist and poofing them to her room. "I'm sure I have something to fit you."

"I highly doubt that," Emma said.

"Really?" Regina asked, pulling a pair a sweatpants and a sweatshirt out of the closet. "I have some clothes for comfort. Looks like they finally came in handy."

"Thanks," Emma said, taking the clothes from her. "I'll just go get changed."

Regina watched Emma go into the bathroom before shaking her head and smiling. What a turn this day had taken.

* * *

"Sweatshirt and sweatpants?" David asked, walking into work the next morning. "Interesting outfit choice."

"All of my other clothes are in boxes or soaked," Emma said. "I had to borrow clothes from Regina."

"Regina owns comfort clothes?" David asked in surprise.

Emma laughed. "I guess so."

"Are you alright love?" Hook asked, walking into Emma's office. "I heard about what happened last night. Where did you stay?"

"At Regina's," Emma said.

"I see," Hook said. "Well at least it was warm. If you need someplace to stay, let me know. Okay?"

"I think I'll be okay," Emma said. "Regina and I are going to clean up everything later this afternoon."

Hook went to say something but was cut off by David. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have to go. Someone decided to start drinking a little early."

"Damn it Leroy," Emma said, getting up.

"It isn't Leroy," David said. "It's Zelena."

* * *

"Well this certainly is interesting," Emma said, guiding Zelena to the sheriff's car. "You don't seem like a drinker."

"Oh I'm usually not," Zelena said. "I just needed to get a little buzzed."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"To do this," Zelena said. She used her magic to push Emma away from her, flinging her into the air and directly into the path of a light pole.

"Emma!" David shouted, running over to her.

"I'm fine," Emma said, groaning. "Get Zelena to the station and put that stupid magic cuff on her. That's more important."

"I need to call someone to help you," David said. "I'll get Hook for you."

"No, don't," Emma said. "I don't want him. Call Regina."

"Regina?" David asked. "But-"

"Emma?" Regina called, running over and crouching beside her. "What the hell happened?"

"How did you know to come here?" Emma asked.

"Zelena called and said that you were in some kind of trouble a few minutes ago," Regina said. "Sorry it took so long for me to get here. I had to convince Henry to let me go alone."

"She called you?" David asked. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she knew that I would want to help," Regina said slowly. "Why else?"

"She's the one that threw me against this pole," Emma said. Her eyes widened and she quickly rolled to the side, throwing up on the sidewalk.

"You take Zelena to the station, I'll take Emma to the hospital," Regina said. David looked like he was going to argue before nodding and getting up, quickly driving away.

"Come on," Regina said, wrapping one of Emma's arms around her shoulders and helping her stand up. She poofed them both to the hospital, quickly passing her off to Dr. Whale for examination.

* * *

"You don't need to do this," Emma said, allowing Regina to help her into her house.

"Whale said that someone needs to monitor you overnight," Regina said. "I'll gladly take that role on."

Emma huffed out a laugh. "Thanks. I think."

Regina smiled. "So why did you ask for me instead of Hook? You would think you would want him at your side."

"I don't know," Emma mumbled. Her shoe got caught on one of the stairs, causing her to trip forward. Regina quickly wrapped both of her arms around Emma, pulling her back to her feet. Emma looked at Regina, quickly realizing how close they were.

Several beats of silence passed before Emma leaned forward and lightly kissed Regina. Regina tensed in shock before kissing her back.

They pulled apart only when air was necessary, Emma instantly smiling. Regina smiled back at her before chuckling. "Were you doing that or is the concussion making you not think straight?"

"This is why I've been having second thoughts about marrying Hook," Emma admitted. "I don't love Hook. I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said, kissing her again. "So...I'm guessing the wedding is off?"

Emma laughed. "The wedding is off."


	356. Day 356: New Look

**This chapter is for Guest with a prompt concerning Jennifer's new haircut. I had no idea she even got her hair cut, but I just looked and it's super cute!**

"I want to try something new," Emma said, playing with her hair. "After everything that's happened, I want something new."

"You could just get new clothes," Ruby said, looking at Emma in the mirror.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't need you to change my mind, I need you to cut my hair."

"Suit yourself," Ruby said, shrugging. "Just so you know, I'm not an actual hair stylist. So if this turns out horribly, it's your own fault for trusting me."

Emma laughed. "It's a risk I'm willing to take. "Now cut my hair already."

* * *

"I'm home!" Emma called, shutting the front door behind her. She wiped her shoes on the mat before taking them off and hanging up her jacket.

"Perfect timing," Regina said, walking out to the foyer to greet her. She froze and her jaw dropped in surprise upon seeing Emma's hair.

"Surprise," Emma said, laughing at Regina's expression.

"What did you do to your hair?" Regina asked, reaching out and touching the ends of Emma's hair. "You cut it all off."

"Not all of it," Emma said. "Don't be so dramatic."

"I thought you liked your hair long," Regina said.

Emma shrugged. "After all of the craziness that's been happening, I wanted to change something. My hair seemed like a good change."

"You could have just changed your clothing choices," Regina said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's what Ruby said."

Regina laughed. "I knew I liked her for a reason."

"Whatever," Emma said, pushing her away playfully. "Let's go eat."

* * *

Regina smiled as she sat on the deck reading. Emma and Henry were seeing who could climb the apple tree the fastest, and their laughter warmed her heart far more than she thought it would.

"You've got this ridiculous smile on your face," Emma teased, plopping down next to her. "What's making you so happy?"

"You," Regina said. "And Henry."

Emma smiled and leaned over to kiss Regina on her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina said. "And your hair."

"Really?" Emma asked. "I thought you liked it long."

"I've grown to like it," Regina said, smiling. "You look good no matter what length your hair is."

Emma smiled. "Look at that. The Evil Queen is going soft."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Shut up."


	357. Day 357: Sorry I'm Late

**Only one week left! That's crazy. Anywho, I realized that I'm a day off (must have skipped a day and forgot to make it up. I also suck at math so yeah) so I'll be updating two at some point to make up for lost time.**

 **This chapter is for LoveHurts with the prompt: "I would love to see Regina being Emma's maid of honor or not being at the wedding at all and then interrupting it the same way she interrupted Snow and David's wedding."**

 **Thank you guys so much for continuing to read, and let's start this last week off right!**

* * *

"You don't really have to go through with this," Regina said, watching Emma as she studied herself carefully in the mirror. "Pleasing your parents and the town isn't everything."

"But it is," Emma said. "There's a crazy man out there who wants to help his evil mother kill me. This town needs some beacon of hope, and Hook wants to marry me."

Regina sighed. "You're going to regret this for the rest of your life."

"I'll still have you," Emma said.

"You think that Hook will let me near you?" Regina asked. "He knows that there's something going on between us behind closed doors."

"He won't control me," Emma protested. "I can see and spend time with whoever I want to. I'm not his pet."

"No, but you will be his wife," Regina said. "And like it or not, that comes with a vow. I won't be made into that person that you cheat on your husband with. This town does not need another reason to hate me."

Emma sighed before carefully sitting down. "I don't know what to do. I can't call everything off. But I don't love Hook. I love you."

"I know," Regina said softly. "It's your choice to make. I won't make it for you."

Several seconds passed in silence before the door opened and David stuck his head in. "Are you ready to go? Everyone else is set up and Hook is starting to get anxious."

"I'll be out in a second," Emma said, standing back up. David looked back and forth between her and Regina before nodding and closing the door. Emma had no doubt that he was standing outside of the door, still listening.

"Will you be there?" Emma asked. "At the ceremony I mean."

Regina shook her head. "I can't sit there and watch the woman I love marry someone else. I wish you the happiest of marriages." Before Emma could say anything, Regina had poofed away.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Zelena asked, storming into Regina's office. "Why are you here and not at the wedding?"

"I suppose I could ask you the same question," Regina said, setting down her pen. "I'm getting work done. What's your excuse?"

"I came to find you," Zelena said. "You need to stop this wedding before it happens."

Regina looked at Zelena in confusion. "And you care because?"

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Because as much as we've disagreed before, you have your chance at a happy ending and you're letting it get away. So what if she's marrying Hook. There's an easy solution."

"Stopping the wedding?" Regina asked. "You can't be serious. This is the choice that Emma made. I can't change her mind."

"She's at the altar right now, frozen in place," Zelena said. "When I left, she was making up her vow on the spot to make the ceremony take longer. She wants you to save her."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Regina asked. "Just waltz in and declare my love?"

Zelena smirked. "I've read the book. You know how to crash a wedding."

Regina laughed. "Alright. Let's go crash a wedding."

* * *

"And even though we've had our, um, hardships in the past," Emma said. "I'm so grateful to be standing up here right now. With the man I love, by my side. Well, not really by my side because you're in front of me, but you know what I mean."

"Emma," Hook said. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to make my vow more personal," Emma said. "Obviously it's not going very well."

"Not at all," Hook agreed. "Can we continue on with the ceremony now, or do you have more to add?"

Emma bit her lip and looked out at the people gathered. Zelena had seen the pleading in her eyes and had poofed away, most likely to get Regina. Regina had been right. She couldn't go through with this.

"Emma?" Hook asked. "Are you okay? You keep staring off into space."

"I'm fine," Emma said, looking back at him and giving him a reassuring smile. "Just nervous is all. We can continue."

Hook nodded, but before the ceremony could continue the doors to the church crashed open, revealing Regina on the other side.

Everyone gasped at the grand entrance, but no one moved as Regina walked up the aisle to where Hook and Emma stood. Emma smiled at her entrance, relieved that she was finally here.

Regina smiled. "Sorry I'm late."

Emma laughed, knowing the line from her parent's wedding all those years ago. She let go of Hook's hands before running down and hugging Regina tightly, not caring what anyone in the town thought.

"Emma, what in the bloody hell are you doing?" Hook asked.

"I can't marry you," Emma said, letting go of Regina to look at Hook. "I don't love you, and marrying you would only be torture. The truth is, I was only with you to make my parents and the town happy in this dark time. I don't love you. I love Regina."

Some people gasped, while others exchanged smiles. Some even exchanged money. "I can't believe this," Hook said.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quietly. "But I can't be with you. Or be your wife. It's not fair to you, or me, or Regina. We'll all be happier this way."

Everyone stood frozen as Emma and Regina walked out of the church and poofed away.

* * *

"I can't believe I just did that," Emma said. "I just left my own wedding."

"You know, you could still get married today," Regina said. "City hall has the marriage certificates. And you just so happen to be with the mayor."

"Madame Mayor are you suggesting we elope?" Emma asked, smirking.

Regina smiled. "Perhaps."

Emma reached out, looping her arm through Regina's. "I'm already dressed for the part. What are we waiting for?"


	358. Day 358: Engagement Help

**This chapter is for luci465 with the prompt: "Henry (years from now) asks for help coming up with proposal/buying engagement ring"**

"Look who flew back into the nest," Emma teased, hugging Henry tightly.

"Funny," Henry said. "I actually came here because I need my mothers' help with something kind of important."

"You're admitting to needing our help?" Emma asked. "As an adult? I may fall over from the shock!"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Glad to see your sarcasm is still working."

Emma laughed before stepping to the side to allow Henry to enter the house. "Come on. Your mom won't be as funny as I am."

"Oh I know," Henry said, walking inside. "I've already prepared myself for the lung-crushing hug that I'm about to receive."

"She just misses you," Emma said. "You're so busy that you hardly ever come home, and she was used to always having you around. You pretty much never went to school with all of the craziness that this town willingly provided."

Henry laughed. "That's one thing I don't think I'll ever miss."

"Agreed," Emma said. They stopped outside of the door to Regina's study, and Emma knocked lightly.

"Come in," Regina said. "Thank you for knocking. For once."

Emma rolled her eyes as she opened the door and walked in. "Not my fault that you're so jumpy."

Regina went to argue, but whatever she was going to say quickly left her mind as she saw Henry walk in behind Emma. She quickly got up and practically ran over, hugging Henry tightly. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, Henry hugged her back just as tight.

Emma smiled at them and let them have their moment. It warmed her heart how much Regina loved Henry, and how much he loved her in return. No matter what happened, Henry would always have Regina. And vice versa of course.

Finally they broke apart, both of them smiling. "So, what brings you by?" Regina asked. "You haven't visited in awhile."

"I know," Henry said guiltily. "But Violet wanted to move out of town after everything that happened and I had to agree with her. It's hard to visit."

"I know," Regina said. "But anyway, something important must have happened if you made the trip."

"Actually, I came for you help," Henry said. "Both of your help. I want to propose to Violet, and I've already gotten her father's blessing, but I don't know how to propose, and I don't know where to even begin to look for a ring."

Regina and Emma shared a glance before smiling. "Both of those problems have very easy solutions," Emma said. "Let's start with the proposal one. Remember how you guys met?"

"Of course," Henry said. "I tried to impress her with my music player. She'd never seen one before, and was fascinated by it."

"And that became your song, right?" Emma asked.

"Right," Henry said. "Where is this going?"

"Your first date was in Granny's, just the two of you having a candlelit dinner and you introduced her to pop," Regina said. "So, there's your solution."

"Replicate our first date with the song playing in the background," Henry said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "But she doesn't want to come back to town."

"I think you could convince her to for one night," Emma said. "Just say that you want to visit everyone after being away for so long. I'm sure she'd like to see her father."

"That's true," Henry said thoughtfully.

"As for you second problem," Regina said, walking back around to her desk. "That also has a simple solution." She opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a silver ring. The band was just simple silver, but on top was a flower. The petals were made of tiny diamonds, with a large diamond at the center.

Henry's jaw dropped. "Where did you get that?"

"I've always had it," Regina said. "My father gave it to me on my 16th birthday, but after I got married to Leopold I hid it away so he couldn't take it from me. I've always kept it close, and now I'm giving it to you."

Henry shook his head. "I couldn't possibly take that from you."

"You can, and you will," Regina said strongly. "You were named after him, so I consider giving this to you giving the ring back to its intended owner. I'll never wear it, and I'd love to see you give it to the woman you love like he gave it to me."

Henry hesitantly took the ring from Regina before walking behind the desk and hugging her. "I love you."

"I love you more," Regina said, hugging him back and blinking to keep the tears threatening to fall from falling.

Henry squeezed her gently before letting go. "I love you most."

Regina just smiled before leaning forward and kissing his forehead. "Now go on. Your wonderful girlfriend is about to become you fiancé."

"Crazy stuff," Emma said, coming over and holding her arms out for a hug. Henry willingly obliged before sticking the ring in his pocket and leaving.

"It's so hard to see him go, and it never gets easier," Regina said.

"I know," Emma said, wrapping her arms around Regina and kissing her cheek. "But at least now we'll have a wedding to attend. Maybe when Violet comes back she'll see that the town has changed and she'll be fine moving back."

"One would hope," Regina said. "I miss him."

"I do too," Emma said. "I do too."

 **New name challenge! Whoever finds the lines that I used from "Tangled" gets to be featured in my next chapter :)**


	359. Day 359: Stubborn

**LostLovers won the name challenge! I love how many of you guys participated. Keep watching for more!**

"Someone looks serious," Emma said, sitting across from Henry in the living room. "And also very nervous. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Henry said. "Not yet anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Regina asked, walking in and sitting next to Emma. "That sounds like you're planning something and need our permission to carry through with it."

Henry looked down at his hands. "I want to ask out a girl."

"Okay," Emma said. "You don't need our permission to ask out someone that you like."

"Normally, no," Henry said. "But she's, um, kind of from the Enchanted Forest."

Regina's eyes widened. "Then you already know what my answer is going to be. We had an agreement, and you're going to stick by it."

"Most of the people in this town are from the Enchanted Forest," Henry argued. "How am I supposed to find a girlfriend if I can't date anyone who came from there?"

"There are plenty of children at your school that came from Camelot of the Land of Untold Stories that are looking for handsome young boys like yourself," Regina said calmly. "Date one of them."

"I don't want to date one of them," Henry said, rolling his eyes. "Just hear me out. Her name is Annalise, and she's super sweet. Her parents run the bakery on Main Street, and she's an only child. She's not in the book, I checked."

"The answer is still no," Regina said. She stood up and left the room without another word, not leaving any room for argument.

Henry groaned in frustration before punching the pillow next to him. "Why can't she understand?"

"Easy on the pillow, it hasn't done anything to you," Emma said. "She does understand you, she just doesn't agree with you."

"Annalise wants to be with me for me," Henry said. "She doesn't care that my mom was the Evil Queen and terrorized their village countless times. She just wants to be my girlfriend."

"I'll talk to her," Emma said, patting Henry's knee before getting up and leaving the room. She immediately went to the back door and stepped outside, knowing exactly where Regina would be.

Regina didn't even glance at Emma as she sat next to her under the apple tree. "He really likes this girl," Emma said quietly.

"Rules are rules," Regina said. "I'm his mother and I know what's best for him. I'm protecting him."

"Protecting him, or protecting you?" Emma asked, looking at Regina knowingly.

Regina winced, knowing what Emma was thinking. "I just want what's best for him, and that isn't going to be a girl from the Enchanted Forest."

"Why not?" Emma asked. "What's so wrong about finding a girl from there?"

"They all know who I am and what I can do!" Regina snapped.

"Everyone in this town already knows that he's your son," Emma said soothingly. "If she had a problem with it, would she honestly have talked to him in the first place?"

"Perhaps she has ulterior motives," Regina said. "Maybe she's been acting interested just so he falls for her and then in front of us all she's going to break his heart because of what I've done."

Emma's jaw dropped in shock. "You can't seriously think that someone would be that cruel."

"Emma I did awful things to innocent people," Regina said. "I wouldn't put it past anyone to pay me back for it now."

"You need to stop thinking the worst about people," Emma scolded gently. "Henry likes this girl, and he genuinely wants to date her. The younger generation doesn't care about what you did because they know you now. It's the adults that you have to be careful of."

"So you think that her parents wouldn't let her date him, knowing who I am?" Regina asked. "That would devastate Henry."

"Regina, that is not what I said," Emma protested. She sighed, grabbing Regina's hand and squeezing it gently to get her attention. "Listen to me. You can't always be so afraid of how people in this town are going to react. People have moved on by now. Please, you should too."

Several beats passed before Regina nodded. "Okay, fine. But I want to meet this girl before they go on any dates!"

Emma laughed. "Oh boy. You're too stubborn for your own good."


	360. Day 360: Practice Engagement

**This chapter is for KlaineLoverFan25 with the prompt: "Emma and Regina are dating but Regina wants to take their relationship to the next step and has a ring but is nervous. She asks Ruby if she can practice the proposal with her at the mansion, but Emma sees them and everything goes wrong."**

"You want to tell me why I'm here?" Ruby asked, walking into the mansion. "I thought you didn't like me."

"You're a friend of Emma's, and therefore a friend of mine," Regina said, closing the door behind her. "But you have to be quiet. I don't want Henry to know that you're here."

Ruby looked at Regina skeptically. "What exactly are you planning to do with me?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Not what you're thinking. I need your help with something, but you have to keep it a secret. I don't want the whole town knowing."

"Knowing about what?" Ruby asked.

Regina reached into her pocket and pulled out a ring. Ruby gasped, instantly clapping her hands and jumping up and down in glee. "You're going to propose to her!"

"Keep your voice down," Regina hissed. "Come on." She led the way to the living room; glancing upstairs to make sure that Henry was still in his room.

"What do you need my help with?" Ruby asked.

"I'm nervous about actually asking her," Regina admitted. "I know this might sound weird, but I was hoping that I could practice on you to get a feel for what I want to say."

Ruby smiled. "Gladly."

* * *

Emma hummed to herself as she walked up to the front door of the mansion. Her Princess Emma days had still left her with the desire to sing, but Regina had assured her that it would go away. Eventually.

David had showed up early for his shift, so Emma had decided to surprise Regina and Henry and come home early for lunch.

The first thing that Emma noticed as she walked in the house was that something was different. Something seemed off somehow. Then she noticed the voices. She recognized Regina's, but was that...Ruby?

Creeping closer, Emma walked towards where she heard the voices coming from. Why would Ruby be at the mansion? As far as Emma knew, Regina barely even talked to Ruby.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Emma peeked around the corner to see the living room. What Emma saw made her heart stop. Regina was kneeling on one knee in front of Ruby, and there was only one thing that could mean.

Emma tried to choke back the sob that threatened to escape her throat, but a strangled cry ended up getting out. Regina and Ruby both looked over in surprise.

"Oh crap," Ruby said.

Regina quickly got up from the floor and went to reach out to Emma, but Emma shook her head and ran out of the mansion. She quickly got in her bug and drove away, trying to drive through the tears that were blurring her vision.

If Regina was proposing to Ruby that meant they had been seeing each other behind Emma's back. Regina had cheated on her, and was now even marrying the woman she had cheated with.

Without even realizing it, Emma had ended up at the town line. She pulled off to the side of the road, getting out and walking towards the line. It would be so easy to just drive over and never come back. Because if she didn't have Regina, why would living in the town even be worth it?

"Emma!" Regina called, running towards her.

Emma spun to face her. Her tears were now a mixture of sad and angry tears, as if her mind couldn't decide which emotion was winning. "What do you want?"

"What you saw," Regina panted out. "It isn't what you think. I wasn't proposing to Ruby."

"You were on one knee and holding a ring out towards her," Emma said. "I would say that's proposing."

Regina shook her head frantically. "I wasn't. I was practicing on her."

"Practicing?" Emma asked. "That's the excuse that you're going to go with? You can do better than that."

"It's not an excuse," Regina said, a note of pleading slipping into her voice. "I was so nervous about how I was going to propose to you that I wanted to practice. Ruby seemed like the reasonable choice since you two are friends and she would know your reaction."

"So...you weren't proposing to Ruby?" Emma asked slowly.

"No," Regina said. "I promise you, I was not proposing to her. I just wanted to practice so that when the time came I wouldn't screw it up. But it looks like I already have."

Emma smiled. "I may have overreacted."

Regina chuckled. "No, I would have reacted the same if I had walked in on you proposing to someone else."

"So I guess I don't need to leave then," Emma said, gesturing towards the town line.

"Please don't," Regina said. She pulled the ring out of her pocket and knelt down in front of Emma. "I know that I screwed this whole entire thing up, but I do very much want to marry you. So, Emma Swan, will you do this royal screw-up the honor of becoming her wife?"

Emma laughed. "Of course."

Regina smiled and slid the ring onto Emma's finger before standing up and kissing her.

"And for the record," Emma said. "You're my royal screw-up."


	361. Day 361: Disney Fight

**This chapter is for Hypnotoad76 with the prompt: "Emma and Regina go to NYC for a weekend, which ends up being the same week as New York Comic Con. While out walking they run into a group of people in various cosplay, and Regina almost gets into a fight with a woman dressed as Disney's version of The Evil Queen"**

"I would compliment how beautiful that this city is, but it really isn't," Regina said, looking around at their surroundings. She and Emma were visiting New York City for the weekend, choosing to get away from town for a little bit. Even the Savior needed a vacation.

Henry had chosen to stay behind, wanting to keep an eye on everything. As much as he loved going to New York, it reminded him too much of Neal and how he had barely gotten to know his dad before he died.

"You're just seeing the outside of the buildings," Emma said. "That's not even the best part. Remember what the big saying is? Never judge a book by its cover."

"Unless the book is covered in a layer of exhaust from all of the car fumes," Regina said, looking up at the sky.

Emma rolled her eyes. "So judgmental."

"You're just realizing this?" Regina asked, smirking. Emma laughed and they continued walking together down the street. They were trying to find a place to eat, but anywhere was going to be good. It was New York after all.

"What's going on over there?" Regina asked, pointing towards a large crowd of people gathered outside of an arena. "It looks like they're wearing costumes."

Emma shrugged. "Let's go check it out. They all look interesting."

They walked together over to the group, staring in shock as people walked past them dressed up as characters from various movies and TV shows. Emma knew this, but Regina had no idea what was going on.

"What is going on?" Regina asked. "Do people typically dress like this in New York?"

"No," Emma said. "It's a special event where people dress up as their favorite characters and meet celebrities and stuff."

"Why?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "For fun. Most people go all out. You should be able to recognize some of the characters around here."

Regina looked around the crowd, recognizing some people from the superhero movies that she watched with Henry. And several people from the Disney franchise, which Henry had forced her to watch.

"You're in my way," a voice snapped from behind Regina.

Regina turned and almost laughed at the person standing behind her. The woman was dressed exactly like the Evil Queen from the Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and clearly was acting the part as well. Or was just that nasty of a person.

"I do believe that I was here first," Regina said calmly. "We're just passing through, and the crowd is quite thick."

"Why'd you come this way then?" the woman asked. "Not like you're dressed up or anything. Unless you're dressed as some businesswoman who just lost her job."

Regina's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?"

"You're pardoned," the woman said, smirking. "By a queen no less. You should feel special."

"You are some low-life middle-aged women who has a crappy job and a very unpleasant life and finds joy in dressing up as some Disney character and bullying other people to make yourself feel better," Regina hissed. "You've just found yourself arguing with a _real_ queen, and I would suggest backing away right now."

The woman looked at Regina in shock before laughing. "You have some spunk, I'll give you that. But you still need to move along. Only the important people get to stand in this crowd. If anything, you should be moving along."

Emma quickly reached out and grabbed Regina's arm, trying to pull her away. "She's not worth it. Let's just go, okay?"

The woman smirked and waved at Regina as Emma pulled her away. Regina tore her arm out of Emma's grasp and walked back over, grabbing the cape of the woman and pulling her close. "You want to know what it's like to really face an Evil Queen? Because I can show you, right here."

For the first time since their encounter, the woman actually looked afraid for her well-being. "Do you mean like a fight? I'm not about to fight a stranger."

"If you don't want to fight, then watch your mouth," Regina hissed, letting go of her cape and pushing her away.

Emma quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her away again. Some members of the crowd watched them as they left, most of them smiling. They must have encountered the crowd bully.

"You are crazy," Emma said. "What were you thinking?"

Regina shrugged. "She threw the first punch. I just fired back."

"Were you really going to fight her?" Emma asked. "You looked like you would have ripped her heart out if magic was out in this world."

"She was asking to be fought," Regina said. "Besides, it isn't like I haven't trained myself in hand-to-hand combat before."

"Wait seriously?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "I hired a trainer and he came when my mother was out with other people. It served me well."

Emma shook her head and laughed. "You are insane."

"You love me anyway," Regina teased.

"I do," Emma said. "Crazy me."


	362. Day 362: Report Card

**Sorry it took so long to get these chapters out, it's been a busy few days!**

"We have a very big problem," Regina said, walking into the kitchen. "Look at this." She set an envelope down onto the table in front of Emma.

"What is this?" Emma asked.

"Read it," Regina said, crossing her arms. Emma looked at her in concern. She looked very pissed, and that more than likely wasn't for no reason.

Emma picked up the envelope and opened it, slowly pulling out the piece of paper inside. She looked at it before looking at Regina in confusion. "It's just Henry's report card."

"Look at his grade for History," Regina said.

Emma looked closer at the report card and her eyes widened. "He's failing?"

Regina nodded. "Which I don't understand in the least. I asked Snow what the curriculum is, and she said that it's the history on the Enchanted Forest. He knows all of it, he read the book! Heck, he even wrote some of it."

"There has to be a good explanation for it," Emma said. "He's never failed a class before. You and I both know that he's a good student."

"Which is why this is so concerning," Regina said. "History should be his easiest class."

Henry chose that moment to walk into the room. He saw what Emma was holding and slowly began to back up to where he had come from.

"Henry Daniel Mills don't you dare take another step,'" Regina said, glaring at him. She pointed at a chair by Emma's. "Sit."

Henry sighed before walking over and sitting in the chair that Regina had pointed to. "I can explain."

"You better have one heck of an explanation," Regina said.

"Let him explain," Emma said gently, looking pointedly at Regina. Regina sighed before sitting down next to Emma, folding her hands in her lap.

"The year started off fine," Henry said. "We learned about the history of the Enchanted Forest, like who all the rulers were and stuff. And then we got to the part of the unit where we had to discuss the Dark Curse."

Regina winced. Snow hadn't told her about that part. Everyone in town knew that it was her that had brought them all here, but it never got any easier to think about.

"Whenever the teacher talks about it, he always gets really angry about everything, and the class feeds off of him," Henry said. "In no time at all, the discussion isn't even about the Dark Curse anymore. It's about why the Evil Queen brought everyone here."

Emma reached over and grabbed Regina's hand, squeezing it gently. They never talked about the Curse for this reason.

"After the first few days like that, I just stopped showing up to class. I didn't want to listen to them bash my mom and analyze her decisions," Henry said. "They all couldn't figure out why you would create this town, but I know."

"And that's why you're failing," Emma said. "Because you never show up and don't take the tests."

Henry nodded. "I know that it's bad to fail a class, but to me it's worth it."

They both looked at Regina, waiting for her reaction. "Go to class tomorrow," she said softly. "I'll take care of this."

Henry nodded. "I have homework to do, so I'm going to go get that done." Emma nodded, never letting go of Regina's hand.

After Henry had gone, Regina finally let go of Emma's hand and buried her face in her hands. Emma saw her taking deep breaths, most likely trying to keep her emotions under control.

"Why can't they just let it go?" Regina asked, her voice slightly muffled behind her hands. "Yes, I cursed everyone. But last time I checked, that isn't something that needs to be analyzed in a classroom."

"I know," Emma said softly. "You said you were going to take care of it. What did you mean?"

Regina finally looked at Emma. "How would you feel about attending a History class?"

* * *

"Alright, everyone calm down," Mr. Smith said. "Today we're going to be covering our favorite subject: the Evil Queen."

Murmurs of excitement rippled through the class, and Henry seethed underneath with anger. Could this class do nothing but talk negatively about his mom?

He got ready to raise his hand to ask this question when the door to the classroom opened, and Emma and Regina stepped inside. They were followed by Mrs. Anderson, the school principal, who looked like she was scared out of her mind.

"Madame Mayor," Mr. Smith said. "What a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

"Just keep teaching your lesson as usual," Regina said, walking to the back of the classroom with Emma close behind her. They both took a seat, looking at Mr. Smith expectantly.

Henry had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing at his teacher's expression. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"Right...um, well," Mr. Smith said. ""We're going to change our lesson plans today-"

"Oh please Mr. Smith, don't change your plans because of our presence," Regina said. "I'm sure whatever you're teaching must be very interesting."

Henry saw Emma bite her lip to keep from laughing. He almost wanted to laugh, but figured by the scared looks of his classmates that doing so might be frowned upon.

"Right, well, we were just talking about the Dark Curse," Mr. Smith said.

"A subject that I'm very familiar with," Regina said. "As I'm sure you and your entire class are aware. After all, you have been teaching them all about how I ruined their chances at a life in the Enchanted Forest, correct?"

Mr. Smith paled, and Henry swore that he was going to pass out. "Um, I don't remember ever teaching that unit-"

"Did you really think I wouldn't have cameras in every classroom?" Regina interrupted, smiling sweetly. "I know everything that you've been teaching this entire year. I'd watch what you taught from now on."

"Of course," Mr. Smith said quickly. "I apologize Madame Mayor for anything insulting that I may have said."

Regina stood up, Emma following her. They walked together to the door, Emma leaving first. "Have a good day," Regina said, smiling at the class before leaving. As she left, the entire class sighed in relief. Except for Henry. He was smiling ear to ear.

* * *

"Hold up," Emma said, grabbing Regina's arm to stop her from getting too far.

"What?" Regina asked. "I took care of the problem."

Emma laughed. "You did. I was waiting for that poor teacher to faint though. Do you always do that when people get on your bad side?"

Regina smirked. "Just the annoying ones." She turned and walked to her car, getting in.

"One more question," Emma said. "Is there really cameras in every classroom?"

"Nope," Regina said. Emma burst out laughing as Regina drove away from the school. Poor Mr. Smith.


	363. Day 363: Black Crystal

**Season 6 chapter!**

Emma walked down to Regina's vault, hoping to check in on her and her progress with the wand that Hook had brought back with him from Neverland. Even though Emma planned on breaking up their engagement, and he knew it, Hook obviously didn't want her to die.

Regina had said that she was working on a locator spell for the wand, but the first thing that Emma saw when she entered the vault was Regina surrounded by books.

"I thought you knew how to make a locator spell from memory," Emma said.

"I'm not making a locator spell," Regina said. "I'm doing some research on this." She held up the dark crystal in her hand for Emma to see.

"I thought Zelena volunteered to give up her magic to make the crystals go light again," Emma said.

"She did," Regina said. "I just asked her to wait for a bit while I did some research."

Emma walked forward, looking at some of the books in front of Regina. "Hang on, are you looking at using it like Zelena did?"

"To get back to the Enchanted Forest?" Regina asked. "Yes. That's what I'm looking at."

"Why?" Emma asked. "You're just going to leave everyone here to face the Black Fairy? You're going to leave me?"

"Of course not," Regina said, looking at Emma in surprise. "Do you honestly think that I would do that? I'm seeing if I can get everyone out with one crystal or if we're going to need more."

"We can't leave," Emma said. "The final battle has to happen."

Regina sighed. "You know as well as I do that nothing good is going to come from the final battle. Everyone is going to lose something. That's how these things work."

"But it's my destiny to fight this battle," Emma said. "Everything that I've done as the Savior has led up to this moment."

"You've done enough as the Savior," Regina snapped. "I think it might be time to think of yourself for once instead of everyone else."

"I can't just leave," Emma said. "Not without fighting her."

Regina closed the book that she was reading before looking at Emma with determination. "Then I guess I'll just have to drag you along."

* * *

A few days passed and everyone was starting to get impatient. They wanted Zelena to give up her magic and make the crystals light, but Regina refused to help until she figured out how to get everyone away with the dark crystals.

Finally, her research came through. The only problem? She needed more crystals. And the only way that she was going to get them would be by going back down into the mine.

"Are you crazy?" Emma hissed, running forward and pulling Regina away from the door to the mine. "You are not going down there."

"There's a way to get us all out," Regina insisted. "All we need is more crystals. Then Zelena giving up her magic won't be necessary because we'll all be gone and she won't have anyone to destroy."

"She's going to know the minute you enter the mines," Emma said. "She'll kill you."

"No she won't," Regina said.

"Think about what you're doing," Emma pleaded. "You can't go down there any more than Zelena could defeat her on her own. She's too powerful. The final battle needs to happen so she either is banished again or is killed. Then everyone will be free of her terror, including Gideon."

Regina looked down at the crystal in her hand. "What if I just took you?"

Emma shook her head. "I need to be here to fight this final battle. You know that."

"I do and I hate it," Regina said. She looked at the crystal some more before throwing it at the mine door. It shattered, and Regina sat heavily on the ground.

Emma joined her, intertwining their fingers together. "We'll make it through this."

"I'm not so sure," Regina said softly.

"I know," Emma said, leaning her head on Regina's shoulder. "But we'll try anyway."


	364. Day 364: Surrogate

**Swan-Mills fam is back!**

Regina and Emma had always raised their three kids to be kind no matter what happened. They had all turned out well, and each of them was highly successful in life. Granted, Lola was the only one who still lived in town. But she was also the only one who had magic.

Ava was living in Florida, living the life as a marine biologist. She visited as often as she could, but living so far away and having such a busy job usually restricted her to holidays only. It was bittersweet for both Emma and Regina.

Henry and Violet were living in New York in the apartment that Neal had lived in. Emma and Regina had been hesitant about the idea, but Henry had insisted that it made him feel closer to Neal. No one could argue with that.

They had gotten married a couple years ago, and wanted to try for a child. The only problem is that they had realized that Violet couldn't carry a child. Her body wouldn't be able to handle the stress, and she would most likely die.

It had been devastating for them both, but then Lola had come up with a solution. She would carry the baby for them.

"You can't be serious," Regina said. "You're going to carry Violet and Henry's baby?"

Lola nodded. "They both want to start a family, but Violet can't. I'm helping out my brother."

"You know, when we taught you to be kind, we really weren't talking about this kind of thing," Emma said. "We were thinking more along the lines of volunteering. Like a normal person."

Lola laughed. "I was raised by you guys. Do you honestly think that I'm normal?"

"That's not the point," Regina said. "You're talking about carrying a baby for nine months. Your niece or nephew."

"Okay when you say it like that it's even weirder," Lola said.

"Exactly," Emma said. "And think about it Lo. You're going to carry this baby for nine months and then give it up. It won't be your baby."

"It's not like I won't see it," Lola said. "They only live in New York."

"But all you're going to see when you look at that little kid growing up is that you were the one that gave it life, but you're missing all of its life," Emma said. "That's a rough feeling."

"Why are you trying to talk me out of it?" Lola asked.

"We're not," Regina said. "We're just trying to present the negative side of things for you to consider. I'm sure that Henry and Violet have the positive side covered."

Lola nodded. "I appreciate what you guys are doing. But I want to do this. I just came to tell you that's why you're going to see me with a baby."

Emma smiled at her. "If you need anything, let us know."

* * *

It had taken a couple tries, but finally Lola was pregnant. Violet and Henry were overjoyed, and even moved back into town to be with Lola and help with her pregnancy. Everything was going great, which was why Emma and Regina were so surprised when Lola showed up at their house late one night.

"What have I done?" Lola asked, sitting on the couch.

Regina and Emma shared a confused look. "What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"I have magic," Lola said. "What if I give the baby magic by accident?"

Emma and Regina's eyes both widened. No one had thought of that. If the baby had magic, Henry and Violet couldn't leave town. Or they would have to leave the baby behind with Lola.

"Everything will turn out fine," Emma said soothingly. "Since the baby is made from Henry and Violet, your magic shouldn't do anything."

"Maybe I should leave town and get rid of my magic," Lola said. "Just to be safe."

"You can't do that now," Regina said. "The stress on your body of losing magic could be bad for the baby."

Lola buried her face in her hands. "I'm an awful sister."

"Lo, your magic isn't going to do anything," Emma said. "This baby is going to be born without magic and everything will be fine."

"I hope you're right," Lola said. She poofed away without another word, leaving Emma and Regina alone.

"Did I just lie to her?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "I have no idea. Nothing like this was ever done in the Enchanted Forest."

Emma sighed. "If something doesn't turn out okay-"

"I know," Regina said. "I know."

* * *

Everyone was gathered anxiously in the waiting room, Henry and Violet included. Lola had only wanted Emma and Regina with her in the room.

Finally, Whale held a healthy little boy in his arms. Lola sighed in relief as she lay back against her pillows, utterly exhausted. Emma and Regina both smiled at her, knowing that relief.

"Healthy little boy," Whale said, bringing him over to Lola. "Want to hold him?"

Lola shook her head. "Let his parents see him."

Regina looked anxiously at Emma, who had taken a step back. She had chosen not to hold Henry either.

Emma took a couple deep breaths before making eye contact with Regina and nodding slightly to show that she was fine. Nurses took care of Lola before leaving the room; changing places with Henry and Violet.

"Thank you," Henry said, walking over and hugging Lola tightly. "We wouldn't have a son if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome," Lola said. "What are you going to name him?"

"Well, we were hoping you could help with that," Violet said. "We want his middle name to be James, after my father, but we want you to pick his first name."

Regina and Emma smiled at Lola's look of disbelief. "Really?" Lola asked.

Henry nodded. "You carried him for nine months. The least we can do is let you pick his name."

Lola looked at the little boy in Violet's arms before smiling. "Oliver."

"I love it," Violet cooed. "Welcome to this crazy family, Oliver James Mills."

 **Funny story: Oliver is what I want to name my son if I ever have one. Don't know why, I just love the name.**


	365. Day 365: New Happy Ending

**Well this is it. Day 365. The day where the story fully comes to a close. Thank you all so much for reading this story, especially those of you who have been here since the very beginning. I appreciate every review and private message that I've gotten, and I truly appreciate each and every one of you.**

 **I know that seems like that's obvious, because of course authors appreciate their readers. But here's why it really matters. I started this story when I was 17, and now I'm 18. You guys just read a story written by a senior in high school. When I started this I started it to feel like I was doing something important, and it quickly became a growing experience for my writing.**

 **Keep a box of tissues handy for the last line, as I myself almost cried after writing it. Again, thank you guys so much, and here is our final chapter.**

* * *

Regina looked up in surprise as her doorbell rang. Pretty much everyone in town was attending Hook and Emma's wedding, and those who weren't certainly wouldn't want her company.

The doorbell rang again, prompting Regina to reluctantly walk to the front door and open it. What was on the other side made her heart stop.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked. "You're supposed to be getting married. Right now."

"I can't," Emma said, panting. It was clear that she had run from wherever the wedding was being held (Regina didn't really want to know, the temptation to crash it would have been too much) but there was no reason why she would have left. Unless…

Regina shook her head, stopping that line of thought. She couldn't afford to be hopeful, especially on this day. Some danger must have come up and they needed her help.

"Did something happen?" Regina asked. "Is everyone alright? There isn't a new villain in town attacking everyone is there?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Emma said quickly. "I just can't do it."

"Emma!" Snow called, running towards Regina's house. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be at your wedding!"

"Please let me in," Emma begged. "I will owe you my life if you let me in right now."

"You don't owe me anything," Regina said, stepping to the side. Emma quickly stepped inside, and Regina closed the door behind her.

"She's going to kill me," Emma mumbled. "And so will everyone in town. And Hook. What have I done?"

"Hey," Regina said gently. "Relax. Everything is going to be fine."

"Really?" Emma asked. "I ran out on my fiancé, causing the whole room to erupt into chaos. I can't believe I did that. Why did I do that?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Regina asked, pushing Emma towards the living room. They both pretended that they couldn't hear Snow on the other side of the front door, begging for Emma to come out or for Regina to let her in.

"Everything was fine," Emma said. "And then as I got up front and looked into Hook's eyes I realized that his eyes weren't the ones that I wanted to look into every morning for the rest of my life."

"And then you just ran off?" Regina asked. She couldn't believe it. If Emma had suddenly decided she didn't want to be with Hook, whom did she want to be with? Maybe it was no one, but Regina could hope.

Emma nodded. "I didn't see any other way out. So I just ran away."

"Why did you come here?" Regina asked. "I can't believe that you ran all the way to my house from your wedding."

"That's the funny thing," Emma said. "I didn't."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, looking at Emma in confusion.

"I poofed," Emma said, sitting down on the couch. "But I didn't know where I was poofing to. All I knew was that I wanted to go someplace where I would feel safe. Or loved."

Regina's eyes widened, and she sat down next to Emma on the couch. Sometimes magic could take things very literally. Emma had probably been trying to poof to her house, since that was where she had hidden a lot when she was the Dark One. It was a safe spot. Instead, her magic had taken her to where she would be safe _and_ loved. Stupid magic.

"I don't know why it brought me here," Emma said. "And I honestly don't care. But I'm here now and I have no idea what to do."

Regina reached over and covered Emma's hand with her own, getting her attention. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're feeling. But something moved you to leave that wedding. You said that you didn't want to see Hook every morning for the rest of your life. Who do you want to see then?"

"I don't know," Emma sighed. "I wish I did, but I don't."

"Or you do and just don't want to admit it to yourself and others," Regina said.

Emma flinched, showing her that she was right. Regina smiled and nudged her gently. "Come on. Spill the beans for your best friend."

Emma laughed, nudging Regina back. "I love hearing you say that. Makes me feel safe. And loved." She bit her lip as she waited for Regina to get it, smiling as she saw Regina's eyes slowly widen.

"Me?" Regina asked.

Emma slowly nodded. "I don't know how this happened. Or why. But all I could think of while I was looking at Hook was that I wished it were you standing up there in front of me. Not him. I don't know where the thought came from."

Regina leaned over, kissing Emma to stop her rambling. Emma immediately returned the kiss, instantly feeling how right it was. She was meant to kiss Regina.

"What am I going to do?" Emma asked. "Everyone's going to want to know where I went and why."

"It's up to you what you want to tell them," Regina said. "Honestly, you don't have to tell them anything other than that you aren't getting married to Hook."

"I know what I'll tell them," Emma said. "I'll tell them that I'm getting my new happy ending. And the new version is the one I should have pursued from the very beginning."

Regina smiled. "I'm not going to argue with that."

Emma laughed before pulling her close and kissing her again. And as in all fairy tales, they lived happily ever after.


End file.
